After failing to score a touchdown for the third straight week, the New York Jets finally decided to make a change at the quarterback position, benching Zach Wilson in favor of Tim Boyle. And it sounds like Wilson himself can’t even fault the decision.
During an interview session this week, Zach Wilson was asked if he felt as though he was simply a scapegoat for the offense’s struggles this season, and he quickly shut down that notion as he seemingly defended the team’s decision to bench him.
“I don’t think I’m being scapegoated. Absolutely not,” Wilson said in a video shared by SNY Jets. “You’ve got to look at the situation. We’re not scoring touchdowns. Like, regardless of what I’m doing, my job as a quarterback is to help us score points. That’s what I’ve said to you guys.”
Wilson has shown signs of improvement at times this season when compared to previous years. But as he readily admits, that improvement isn’t really all that important if it’s not leading to touchdowns on the field.
Zach Wilson doesn't think he was scapegoated for the Jets' offensive issues:
"We're not scoring touchdowns. Regardless of what I'm doing, my job as a quarterback is to help us score points." pic.twitter.com/g8ohXig2Em
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 21, 2023
“I can sit here and say I’ve had a bunch of growth and tremendous whatever this year, but if you’re not scoring touchdowns, it doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t,” Wilson said. “I get that. That’s a quarterback’s job to help everybody be on the same page, and help everybody get to the right place and do the right things, and we’re not doing that all the way across the board, so you can’t just keep doing the same thing.”
Wilson is right – the Jets simply have not been scoring touchdowns. The team ranks No. 30 in the league out of 32 teams in scoring offense, putting up just 15 points per game. So given the struggles to put points on the board, Wilson was not exactly surprised with the decision to make a change at quarterback.
“Not surprised, either way,” Wilson said. “Like I said to you guys, when not scoring touchdowns consistently, and [when] we’re letting our defense down and [when] we’re not putting up points, what do you expect? You can sit there and be happy with the progress I feel like I’ve made personally, but like, it doesn’t matter if you can’t score, and I truly understand that. It starts with the quarterback, and it’s finding a way to get it done, and we’re not doing that. If you keep doing the same thing, nothing is going to change. So, I understand.”
The Jets will now turn to Boyle to see if he can jumpstart the team’s offense.
[SNY]
