Zach Wilson Notes Biggest Area Of Self-Improvement Vs. Patriots

Zach Wilson’s performances against Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots likely were a driving factor in why the New York Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers this offseason.

In four career games against the Patriots, Wilson completed just 50% of his passes while throwing two touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was benched after playing New England in Week 10 last season, following a performance in which he completed nine of his 22 passes for a mere 77 yards while taking four sacks.

The numbers tell the story in a lot of ways.

When the Patriots defense pressured Zach Wilson last year, he averaged -0.19 yds/dropback (!) with a QBR of 0.9 (!!).

On this week's pod, we talked about why NE was a house of horrors for the young QB, and whether he can do anything differently: https://t.co/25po4Tj9rF pic.twitter.com/FuMLekA1Zv

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 21, 2023

And when asked if there was any common denominator from his struggles against the Patriots, Wilson acknowledged the most telling statistic: Seven interceptions. He knows it’s an area he’ll need to be better at should the Jets wanted to earn a Week 3 win over the Patriots at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

“I just need to be smart with the ball,” Wilson told reporters, per the team. “Especially the last time we played them at home, a lot of them were just dumb plays by me. So, I need to play one play at a time, be efficient with the football, trust what I’m seeing and play ball.”

Wilson credited the Patriots for disguising coverages and making it confusing.

Belichick and company surely will try to do much of the same Sunday. The Patriots enter the divisional matchup as a 2.5-point road favorite.