Zach Wilson, Robert Saleh Talk Jets’ QB Situation After Bills Loss
Nov 19, 2023, 7:12 PM | Updated: Nov 20, 2023, 4:58 pm
Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and Zach Wilson #2 of the New York Jets meet after the Bills beat the Jets 32-6 at Highmark Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Zach Wilson and Jets head coach Robert Saleh answered questions regarding New York’s starting quarterback moving forward after the former BYU star was benched in Week 11.
Zach Wilson benched, again
The Bills hosted the Jets at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on Sunday, November 19.
With the Jets trailing the Bills in the second half, 29-6, Wilson was benched and replaced by Tim Boyle. During the 2022 season, Wilson was benched multiple times due to poor play.
@kslsportscom Is the Zach Wilson era over in New York? Let me know what you think! @Kyle Ireland #LocalsInTheNFL #NFL #TakeFlight #Jets #ZachWilson #BYU #BYUFOOTBALL ♬ original sound – kslsportscom
RELATED: Jets Bench QB Zach Wilson During Second Half Against Bills
New York ended up losing to Buffalo, 32-6.
The @nyjets made a quarterback change during the second half of their Week 11 game against the @BuffaloBills.
Read more:#LocalsInTheNFL #NFL #TakeFlight #NYJvsBUF #BYUFOOTBALL https://t.co/H2fIGQUcnL
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 20, 2023
Before leaving the game, Wilson was 7/15 passing for 81 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He posted a rating of 57.9. Wilson also ran the ball four times for 15 yards and was sacked five times by the Buffalo defense.
Wilson entered the game having thrown for 1,863 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions this season.
Boyle finished the game 7/14 passing for 33 yards and an interception.
QB Tim Boyle on the support he's received from fellow QB Zach Wilson. pic.twitter.com/R5HLsHLi89
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 20, 2023
Zach Wilson & Robert Saleh on QB situation
After the game, Wilson and Saleh answered questions about the team’s quarterback situation.
“I’m gonna do everything I can to keep improving no matter what, no matter if my name’s called or not,” Wilson said postgame. “All you can do is keep working, keep trying to improve and I understand that…I’ve got to do my job…I’m gonna keep working, giving everything I’ve got.”
Wilson was asked if expects to start on Black Friday, the team’s next game day.
“I don’t know what to expect,” Wilson replied, “We’re gonna watch the film. All I can focus on is ‘How could I have been better tonight.'”
“Uh, 29-6, just tried to see if we could get something going on the offensive side of the ball,” Saleh gave as his reasoning for the quarterback change in the third quarter.
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“Who’s your quarterback moving forward,” the head coach was asked by a reporter.
“We’re gonna watch the tape and we’ll make a decision tomorrow,” Saleh answered. “We’ll look at all of it. I’m not ready to answer those questions yet.”
With Aaron Rodgers still recovering from an Achilles injury, the Jets have a quarterback room of Wilson, Boyle, and Trevor Siemian.
Saleh highlighted that even with the QB change, the Jets’ problems don’t lie on Wilson’s shoulders alone.
“Like I told Zach on the sidelines, it’s not just him. It’s easy to point the finger at the quarterback but it’s pretty easy to see, you got missed protections, dropped balls, you’ve got missed routes,” Saleh said. “Now, obviously, he’s got to get better. There’s things he could have done a lot better but it’s everyone right now.”
With the loss, the Jets dropped to a 4-6 record this season. New York’s next game is at home against the Miami Dolphins on Friday, November 24 at 1 p.m. (MT). The game will be broadcast on Prime Video.
About Zach Wilson
Before his time in the NFL, the Corner Canyon High School product had a standout career at BYU. Wilson helped the Cougars to an 11-1 record during his final season in Provo.
Following his college career, the Jets selected Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
During the quarterback’s rookie season, Wilson missed four games due to a knee injury. He finished the year throwing for 2,334 yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with a 55.6 completion rate.
.@ZachWilson finds Breece Hall for his sixth touchdown pass of the season.#LocalsInTheNFL #NFL #TakeFlight #NYJvsBUF #BYUFOOTBALL @kslsports pic.twitter.com/jcfEB7I4SI
— Kyle Ireland (@kyleireland) November 19, 2023
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Before his second season, the former BYU star underwent surgery after suffering a knee injury in New York’s preseason opener.
Without Wilson, the Jets opened the 2022 season with a 1-2 record. After returning, the Jets posted a 5-2 record before Wilson was benched for the first time. After a month on the sidelines, Wilson returned to action for a couple of contests before he was benched again.
Last season, the Jets posted a 7-10 record and missed the NFL Playoffs.
Wilson finished the 2022 season having thrown for 1,688 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions with a 54.5 percent completion rate. He has a rating of 72.9 and a QBR of 37.1. The Jets missed the playoffs with a 7-10 record.
During his first two seasons in the league, Wilson passed for 4,022 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. He also ran for 287 yards and five touchdowns.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for KSLSports.com. He’s also co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on X/Twitter (@kyleireland), Instagram (@kyleirelandksl), and Threads (@kyleirelandksl).
