Zach Wilson Got Benched For CHRIS STREVELER In The Jets' Nightmare TNF Loss

Matt Fitzgerald12/23/2022 4:44 AM

Once Zach Wilson threw an interception to close out the first half and it was very evident the New York Jets weren't going to move the ball at all under his leadership, Amazon Prime Video cameras cut to famous Gang Green loyalist Fireman Ed. To say he looked despondent is more of an understatement than saying Zach Wilson is an atrocious NFL quarterback.

This poor fuckin' guy. What have he and Jets fans had to look forward to since the short-lived Chad Pennington era? One decent year of FitzMagic? A somewhat decent 5-8 starting mark from Josh McCown? Utter futility at the most scrutinized position in all of [disclaimer North American] sports.

So yeah it go to the point where Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, got benched for a preseason superstar in Chris Streveler. That guy actually played with some competitive passion and managed to pick up some chunk plays with his legs. Didn't result in any points, but still. It's the slight spark of anything that counts.

Fans who stuck it out in the weather to see if maybe perhaps Wilson could hold a candle to his counterpart and superior draft classmate Trevor Lawrence were not shy in expressing their displeasure…

I mean this was BAD. Lawrence kept his poise after an early sack-fumble that led to the only points the Jets wound up scoring on the evening, whereas Wilson completed only nine passes. New York hurt themselves with penalties and a bad rushing attack to be behind the sticks, yet Wilson didn't exactly bail them out with special plays you'd expect from someone of his draft status.

Another long-suffering Jets guy Rich Eisen raised an interesting point that only rubbed salt into the latest wound of Gang Green's fourth consecutive defeat, which all but ends their playoff hopes:

I really do wonder what Lawrence would've been like on the Jets in that Kyle Shanahan-inspired offense dialed up by Mike LaFleur. It's clear Wilson has zero ability to run that system with any competence despite LaFleur's best efforts to simplify everything. Lawrence is crushing it with a Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson.

Robert Saleh tried to smooth things over at the podium afterwards and stick up for Wilson at least a little:

But damn if this isn't the beginning of the end for Zach Wilson as a Jet, I truly don't know what is. They at least have a longer layoff between now and their next game so that Mike White can hopefully heal enough to start under center. At this point there's no question he should be the starter the rest of the way if he can make it onto the field. Otherwise, hell, Streveler might've earned himself a shot — if only to spare the Jets organization's decision-makers the embarrassment of watching Wilson lay eggs in the last two weeks.

Maybe the Jets should've stopped scouting the 2021 NFL Draft QB class several years early and just made their decision based on high school recruit rankings. Would've saved themselves a lot of heartache.