{"id":85258,"date":"2022-10-03T03:12:11","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T03:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/qb-zach-wilson-doesnt-flinch-rallies-new-york-jets-to-victory-in-season-debut\/"},"modified":"2022-10-03T03:12:11","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T03:12:11","slug":"qb-zach-wilson-doesnt-flinch-rallies-new-york-jets-to-victory-in-season-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/qb-zach-wilson-doesnt-flinch-rallies-new-york-jets-to-victory-in-season-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"QB Zach Wilson &#8216;doesn&#8217;t flinch,&#8217; rallies New York Jets to victory in season debut"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>PITTSBURGH &#8212; Quarterback Zach Wilson&#8217;s season debut included a historic touchdown catch, a two-quarter slump that nearly doomed the New York Jets and the biggest fourth-quarter comeback of his young career.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That was an ugly win, but that was some of the most fun I&#8217;ve had playing football,&#8221; Wilson said Sunday after a 24-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>It was a wild game.<\/p>\n<p>The Jets led by 10 points in the first quarter and trailed by 10 in the fourth, but Wilson rallyed them with 81- and 65-yard touchdown drives on their final two possessions to pull out their second come-from-behind win on the road .  Wilson returned to the huddle after a preseason knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery on Aug.  16. With only three days of full practice, he was predictably rusty (18-for-36, 252 yards, two interceptions), but he made several clutch throws in the fourth quarter.  Sunday&#8217;s game was the first time since 1988 that the Jets led by 10 points, trailed by 10 and won the game, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline editorial float-r\" data-behavior=\"article_related\">\n<p>2 Related<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Wilson was nearly flawless in the fourth, completing 10 of 12 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown &#8212; a 5-yard slant to wide receiver Corey Davis with 7:31 remaining.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The young man doesn&#8217;t flinch,&#8221; coach Robert Saleh said.<\/p>\n<p>Wilson, drafted second overall in 2021, demonstrated toughness and resilience in the final minutes.  He completed his last seven passes, including 5-for-5 for 57 yards on the final drive.  The Jets took over on Michael Carter II&#8217;s interception with 3:34 to play and marched to Breece Hall&#8217;s 2-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds left.<\/p>\n<p>Wilson said he didn&#8217;t think about his surgically repaired knee during the game.  He was under heavy duress by a makeshift line.  He was sacked only once, but he was hit six times and pressured 14 times, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I thought this was probably the most comfortable I&#8217;ve ever felt from a pregame standpoint coming into a game,&#8221; said Wilson, who went 3-10 as a starter during a difficult rookie year.<\/p>\n<p>Wilson proved he could catch a pass.  In the second quarter, he scored on the Jets&#8217; version of the &#8220;Philly Special,&#8221; a razzle-dazzle play in which he handed it to wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who pitched it to receiver Braxton Berrios, who threw a 2-yard pass to a wide open Wilson.<\/p>\n<p>He became the first quarterback in Jets history to a touchdown reception and the first to catch a pass since Geno Smith in 2013. Wilson celebrated with a &#8220;Griddy&#8221; dance in the end zone.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Pretty cool,&#8221; he said of his touchdown, joking, &#8220;I&#8217;ve got the best hands on the team.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Jets seemed in control with a 10-0 lead, but Wilson threw two interceptions (one off the hands of tight end Tyler Conklin) as the Jets squandered opportunities to put the game away.  Wilsons said &#8220;there was frustration, but it was the right frustration.&#8221;  The defense made four interceptions, including two by safety Lamarcus Joyner, to keep the Jets in the game.  That gave Wilson two big possessions at the end.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He never shut down. He never turns it off. You can tell he just believes in himself. He might not have played a perfect game, but it was his first game back and everything,&#8221; Hall said of Wilson.<\/p>\n<p>Wilson, showing no ill effects from his knee surgery, escaped a handful of sacks with his mobility.  He said he was &#8220;in a good spot&#8221; with his knee, crediting the training staff for getting him ready.  He was on the run because his offensive liner was another key injury, as right tackle Max Mitch (knee) carted off in the second &#8212; the fourth Jets tackle to get injured since training camp.<\/p>\n<p>The day began with a surprise move, right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker starting at left tackle.  By halftime, only two of the five Week 1 starters were in their original positions &#8212; center Connor McGovern and left guard Laken Tomlinson.  Led by Wilson, the Jets (2-2) overcame plenty of adversity.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I thought he played a good game for his first game back,&#8221; Saleh said.<\/p>\n<p>The Steelers (1-3) found it hard to swallow.  Said safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, &#8220;It&#8217;s very frustrating. It&#8217;s frustrating losing to people that you know that you&#8217;re better than, more talented than.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>    .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PITTSBURGH &#8212; Quarterback Zach Wilson&#8217;s season debut included a historic touchdown catch, a two-quarter slump that nearly doomed the New York Jets and the biggest fourth-quarter comeback of his young career. &#8220;That was an ugly win, but that was some of the most fun I&#8217;ve had playing football,&#8221; Wilson said Sunday after a 24-20 victory &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/qb-zach-wilson-doesnt-flinch-rallies-new-york-jets-to-victory-in-season-debut\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">QB Zach Wilson &#8216;doesn&#8217;t flinch,&#8217; rallies New York Jets to victory in season debut<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[3944,46,423,11875],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44249,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/three-non-zach-wilson-takeaways-from-jets-first-preseason-game\/","url_meta":{"origin":85258,"position":0},"title":"Three non-Zach Wilson takeaways from Jets&#8217; first preseason game","date":"August 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Three non-Zach Wilson takeaways from the Jets' 24-21 preseason win over the Eagles on Friday night in Philadelphia: The defense rests The Jets had five starters missing on defense, but they still let the Eagles march down the field too easily on their first two drives. The Eagles had two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert catches a 22-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of the Jets' 24-21 preseason victory.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/Dallas-Goedert.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":87327,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/what-did-zach-wilson-show-in-his-first-game-back-nfl-experts-weigh-in\/","url_meta":{"origin":85258,"position":1},"title":"What did Zach Wilson show in his first game back?  NFL experts weigh in","date":"October 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Zach Wilson's season debut for the New York Jets on Sunday came with a bonus: the second-year pro spearheaded a comeback 24-20 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.New York trailed 20-10 early in the fourth quarter before Wilson \u2014 returning from a meniscus tear and bone bruise in his right knee\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85052,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/late-breece-hall-td-lifts-jets-over-kenny-pickett-steelers\/","url_meta":{"origin":85258,"position":2},"title":"Late Breece Hall TD lifts Jets over Kenny Pickett, Steelers","date":"October 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\r \r \r Getty Images The Jets rally in the fourth quarter to beat the Browns for their first win of the 2022 season and they came up with some more late game magic to beat the Steelers for their second.Kenny Pickett's second rushing touchdown of his regular season debut\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"New York Jets v Pittsburgh Steelers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/profootballtalk.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2022\/10\/GettyImages-1429707439-e1664742028421.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":78109,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/new-york-jets-coach-robert-saleh-expecting-qb-zach-wilson-back-in-week-4-but-doctors-have-final-say\/","url_meta":{"origin":85258,"position":3},"title":"New York Jets coach Robert Saleh expecting QB Zach Wilson back in Week 4, but doctors have final say","date":"September 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- After sitting out three games with a knee injury, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is poised to return next Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.\"I'm expecting [him back]but until the doctors say so, I'm just going to say he's being evaluated,\" coach Robert Saleh said Sunday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":80832,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/new-york-jets-qb-zach-wilson-medically-cleared-will-start-against-pittsburgh-steelers\/","url_meta":{"origin":85258,"position":4},"title":"New York Jets QB Zach Wilson medically cleared, will start against Pittsburgh Steelers","date":"September 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"FLORHAM PARK, NJ -- After sitting out the first three games due to a preseason knee injury, quarterback Zach Wilson has been medically cleared and will start Sunday for the New York Jets, coach Robert Saleh announced Wednesday.Wilson, who practiced on a limited basis the past two weeks, is expected\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44268,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/new-york-jets-flight-connections-08-13-22\/","url_meta":{"origin":85258,"position":5},"title":"New York Jets Flight Connections 08\/13\/22","date":"August 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Good morning, Gang Green Nation! The Jets won their 2022 preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles last night, 24 - 21. Ordinarily that would be the story. Not today. The story today is that Zach Wilson came up limping after scrambling for a gain in the first quarter of last\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/a4.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=\/photo\/2022\/1002\/r1070160_1296x729_16-9.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85258"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85258\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}