How Zach Wilson Reacted To Underwhelming Jets Loss Vs. Cowboys

Zach Wilson and the New York Jets struggled to get anything going against the Dallas Cowboys and fell 30-10 in Week 2 at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.

The Jets converted on only one third-down attempt in the game, going 1-for-10. Wilson told reporters after the game that he saw a common thread in the lack of conversions.

“Not good. Not good,” Wilson said, as seen on team-provided video. “I want to say the biggest probably was just not being third manageable. Me not putting us in a good position. Just play for third and short, because that’s where you got to be in this league to be successful, to keep drives alive and score.”

The Jets’ offense had 46 total plays to the Cowboys’ 83 in the game. New York’s head coach Robert Saleh said his team couldn’t get anything going, on either side of the ball.

“We had a couple of third and one opportunities. We just couldn’t convert it to be able to get ourselves a chance to run the football” Saleh told reporters, as seen on team-provided video. “Then defensively, we couldn’t get off the field. They had the ball for 42 minutes and we had it for 18, you can’t get anything going if you don’t have the ball that much.”

Wilson took responsibility for the Jet’s defense being out on the field for as much as they were.

“You saw what it did to our defense,” Wilson said. “You get tired when you’re on the field that long and we can’t go three and out. We can’t do that to them. We have to give them a break. We have to sustain drives and so on.”

Despite losing Aaron Rodgers just four snaps into the season opener, Saleh believes the loss to Dallas won’t linger in the locker room before returning to MetLife Stadium to take on the New England Patriots in Week 3.

“It won’t snowball. It’s not gonna snowball,” Saleh said. “Dallas players a really (expletive) good game and that’s a good football team too. They played about as good as you could. So, tip your hat off to them. When you can’t get off the field on third down, you’re adding plays on your legs and eventually, you’re going to run out of gas and that’s what happened to us. Especially on defense.”

Wilson finished the night going 12-for-27, 170 yards with three interceptions and one touchdown pass. Despite the underwhelming showing, he plans to take some positives from the game.

“Just keep going,” Wilson said. “I think this team, we have a lot of grit. No one’s gonna quit. And at the end, of course, I’d like to take some of those throws back but that’s just everybody trying to get us back into it. We’re all trying as an offense to go and I got to be smart with the ball. I would say, ‘One play at a time.'”