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Wilson, Defense Show Promise in Jets Preseason Opener

New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson and an improved defensive line showed promise in a preseason victory over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium

Max Schneider

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

On a third-and-6 on the Jets opening drive, Zach Wilson took the snap out of the shotgun. He looked left, found his receiver on an out route toward the far sideline and fired a bullet into the arms of Corey Davis for a first down. And even in what was technically an away game against the home New York Giants, the Jets faithful littered throughout the MetLife crowd let out a roar that echoed into the Jersey night.

The kid is alright.

Wilson played just over a quarter, but it was enough to give the Jets a lead they would never relinquish, en route to a 12-7 win in the first preseason game of the Robert Saleh era. 

As the score indicates, this wasn’t an offensive showcase, and it wasn’t always pretty, but the Jets played the fast and aggressive brand of football that may come to serve as the archetype of the Saleh regime. Now, they’ll head into a week of joint practices in Green Bay with momentum on their side.

Wilson’s First Impression

A week ago at the Green and White scrimmage, Wilson looked the part of a young kid still trying to figure out the speed of the NFL. He struggled mightily, and he knew it. This week, after a much better group of practices, the pressure was on, especially after Justin Fields put together a performance earlier in the day that drew praise around the league. Wilson responded the way he needed to.

He completed six of his nine passes for 63 yards, leading drives of 12 and 10 plays before exiting early in the second quarter. He was decisive, whipping the ball to his receivers to convert third downs without trying to force passes into closed windows. He looked primarily for Davis on the opening drive, finding him twice before just missing him on third down to set up a field goal.

On his next drive, facing a third-and-9 on his own 20, Wilson dropped back, stepped up in the pocket and hurled one over the middle to Keelan Cole for 16 yards and another conversion. While most rookie quarterbacks played extended time in their preseason outings, Wilson, as the starter, played just two series. Those series were each heavily reliant on the run, and were fairly vanilla, but they were enough to showcase the arm that wowed scouts at his Pro Day, and enough to excite Jets fans about the future of the franchise at quarterback. It was a positive first impression for the kid.

Jets' Zach Wilson Impresses in Preseason Debut

The Curious Case of Denzel Mims

Reports out of camp haven’t been kind to Mims, the Jets second-year wide receiver out of Baylor. Following a bout with food poisoning that caused him to lose 20 pounds before training camp began, Mims has practiced with the second and third teams, definitively lapped by at least four other receivers. So it wasn’t a surprise when he didn’t trot out there with the starters. It was a surprise, however, when six total receivers — not including Moore or Braxton Berrios, who were ruled out with injuries — saw time on offense before Mims.

Maybe the Jets are easing him back into things while he regains his strength. Maybe he really is on the roster bubble alongside the guys who were out there with him in the second half. But Mims has some work to do to get back to where he wants to be. On Saturday night, he seemed to receive the message loud and clear. He caught three passes for 51 yards, leading the team in receiving and igniting the offense on its lone touchdown drive of the night.

Jets' Denzel Mims Makes Impression by Playing 'Angry' in Strong Preseason Debut

In what was probably the team’s best offensive play, Mims caught the ball on a short in route before making two Giants defenders miss and dragging at least four more with him for an extra chunk of yardage. It was a third-and-18 and Mims willed his way to a 20-yard-gain and a first down. Saleh gave him a hug and some words of encouragement on the sideline after the play, words that he wanted to “keep between me and him” when asked about it after the game. 

Mims also played on both kickoff and punt coverage, noting that he’d asked Saleh to put him in on special teams. He might be buried on the depth chart for now, but Mims knows what he needs to do to make this team and make an impact, and Saturday’s effort was a great start.

Starting Defense Pitches a Shutout

It’s easy to write off a stellar defensive performance by the Jets defense, chalking it up to the Giants resting their skill position players. It’s important to note, however, that the Giants did play their starting offensive line, and the Jets front four beat them with regularity. Lawson and Rankins were in on a quarterback hit on the opening possession. Bryce Huff followed them with a sack to force a punt, one of his two sacks on the night. John Franklin-Myers put a hit on Mike Glennon that forced an incompletion on the following drive.

Even without Quinnen Williams, the defensive line got to the quarterback rushing just the front four, which is the key to unlocking Saleh’s defense and giving these young corners help in coverage. Those corners held their own, as well. Bryce Hall and Blessuan Austin won their one-on-ones, and Javelin Guidry started in the slot, causing a pass breakup on a third down slant to get the defense off the field. Brandin Echols and Corey Ballentine each had key pass breakups deep down the field to make up for earlier mistakes in the second half.

First to make an impact, though, was CJ Mosley, who broke up a pass over the middle on the very first play of the game. For the Jets, getting Mosley back is like drafting an All-Pro caliber middle linebacker for free. It’s been so long since he’s suited up in green and white that it’s easy to forget how dominant he was in the one half of football he played for the Jets back in 2019. Mosley, who said he’s tired of hearing about that half against the Bills and is looking to add to the highlight reel, certainly delivered in his first action. 

“People are sleeping on the Jets, and if people come with that same mentality they’re gonna get their ass blown out,” he said in the postgame presser.

Quick Hitters

  • Tevin Coleman didn’t play due to personal reasons, so it was Ty Johnson who got the start. Johnson and Michael Carter shared duties with the first team offense, while Perine scored the touchdown with the backups in the second half.
  • The assumption through camp has been that Braxton Berrios will snag the last receiver spot, but Vyncint Smith had a good day playing with the starters. He made a great hustle play on punt coverage to pin the Giants at their own one-yard-line.
  • Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen, the two rookie safety-converted-linebackers, had strong first performances. They combined to force a fumble inside the ten-yard-line.
  • Dan Feeney really struggled starting in place of Alijah Vera-Tucker. He was routinely beaten in both run and pass protection. Getting Vera-Tucker back should create a noticeable difference.
  • Chris Naggar got both field goal attempts (he went 1/2 and missed badly from 53 yards out), but Matt Ammendola looked more promising. He made his extra point try, kicked off out of the back of the endzone and clearly showed a bigger and more accurate leg in warmups

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Max Schneider
MAX SCHNEIDER

Max Schneider is a native New Yorker and an alumnus of Vanderbilt University, where he was the Sports Editor of The Vanderbilt Hustler. He has previously worked for The Nashville Predators, The Players’ Tribune and Nashville SC. You can follow him on Twitter (@Max_Schneider15).

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