Jets' Robert Saleh Stands By Zach Wilson, Explaining Why QB Was Benched vs. Jaguars

Wilson was benched in the third quarter of a loss to the Jaguars on Thursday, another dscouraging performance from the former first-round pick.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh has stood by Zach Wilson for the entirety of the young quarterback's tumultuous career in New York, through two significant knee injuries, flashes of brilliance between the lines and several trips to rock bottom. 

Thursday night was no exception.

After Wilson was benched in the third quarter of an ugly loss to the Jaguars, featuring a horrific performance from the signal-caller, Saleh had his quarterback's back once again. Sure, Saleh was critical, but the head coach also assured that he still has faith in Wilson.

"We haven't seen the last of him," Saleh told reporters after the 19-3 loss. "Right now, he's just got to focus on finding ways to get better. We've got to find ways to help him, we've got to find ways to protect better, we've got to find better ways to run better, we've got to find better ways to call the game better. We've got to do a lot. It's not just him."

Saleh's right, this is a collective issue for New York right now. The Jets' offensive line was as flimsy as ever against Jacksonville and the run game was nonexistent once again. Both position groups on offense have been struggling late in the season due to injuries and certain players underperforming.

Jacksonville entered play with the 24th-ranked defense in the NFL, one of the worst units in football at stopping the pass. When third-stringer Chris Streveler entered the game and was able to move the football, it made Wilson's putrid start look even worse. Wilson threw for just 92 yards, completing nine of his 18 pass attempts with one interception. He was sacked three times, booed off the field on multiple occasions while leading his team to a grand total of three first downs before Streveler took over. 

Saleh went on to explain that the decision to call on Streveler was a move designed to provide a spark to the run game. Once he entered the game and started moving the offense down the field—making plays with his legs and arm—Saleh decided to keep him in and leave Wilson on the sidelines.

"We were trying to change it up to get the run game going," said Saleh. "Obviously I know Zach was struggling. Streveler came in, he ran a couple plays, sparked the offense and got the explosive plays. It just snowballed for us, in a good way. We just wanted to give him an opportunity to finish that drive. By the time we got the ball back, same thing, we're already here, let's just keep going with Strev."

"I just felt like I didn't have any rhythm out there. I was just trying to find some confidence out there on the field and I was trying to find something to get us going, a little spark, but I didn't get anything there man"

- Zach Wilson on what was giving him trouble tonight pic.twitter.com/bqZHNYNOms

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) December 23, 2022

The optics of choosing Streveler over Wilson aren't great. A guy who began the week on the practice squad had more success (and was able to win over the fan base) had more success than the No. 2 overall pick from last year's draft, who looked uncomfortable and ineffective. It's the second time this year Wilson has been benched at quarterback—the BYU product recently sat for three games, watching Mike White carry this team's offense to new heights before he suffered a scary rib injury against the Bills. 

As much as Saleh and the organization have been extremely patient with Wilson, it's growing more and more apparent that he isn't the answer. The Jets would be sitting pretty in the postseason picture this month if they had received better quarterback play this season.

Instead, they're on the outside looking in after their fourth loss in a row, hanging on to a slim shot at making the postseason by a thread with a quarterback that can't produce or live up to his expectations.

"I feel like [Wilson] has gotten better," Saleh said. "Obviously we've got to go show it on the football field. It's a collective thing. Starts with coaching. Either way, it wasn't close to good enough today."

MORE:

• Zach Wilson's Future With Jets in Doubt After Embarrassing Loss to Jaguars
• Jets Booed Off Field After Disastrous First Half in Thursday Night Football
• Zach Wilson Spoke With These Legendary Quarterbacks After Getting Benched

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