PITTSBURGH — The Jets are planning a Zach Attack on the Steelers on Sunday.
Starting quarterback Zach Wilson will play his first game of the season as he returns from an August knee injury that cost him seven weeks. The Jets (1-2) now have their would-be franchise savior back, the man they drafted No. 2 overall in 2021. The Steelers (1-2) will surely be looking to confuse the young quarterback, and his mobility should be a factor in avoiding the pass rush.
Wilson said he won’t hold back because of his knee.
“I’m full go. I’m going to be playing ball how I can,” Wilson said. “If somebody comes up, make somebody miss, get out on the edge, extend plays when I need to, hang in the pocket. I’m planning on being exactly how I should be.”
The Jets are trying to not put too much on Wilson’s return, but they need him to give them life after backup Joe Flacco struggled last week in a loss to the Bengals.
Head coach Robert Saleh did his best to play down Wilson’s role as savior this week. He was asked if Wilson can give the team a spark.
“I don’t know about spark,” Saleh said. “Obviously, it’s an exciting time for everyone, but Zach is a piece of the puzzle. There’s a lot of things we needed to fix, offensively, defensively, and special teams, and that’s our focus more than anything and hopefully, we can all raise the level of our games and make it a smooth transition.”
The truth is that Jets jobs are on the line over whether Wilson can play. General manager Joe Douglas and Saleh tied themselves to Wilson when they decided to draft him and trade Sam Darnold. Wilson had a disappointing rookie season, and now all eyes are on him in Year 2. If he struggles again this year, there will be questions about whether the Jets screwed up another quarterback decision.
It won’t be fair to judge him on one game, but Wilson’s critics will be ready to pounce if he falters against the Steelers.
“He’s going to have to feel his way through, but like everything else, the expectation is he comes out and he plays to the best of his ability and whatever that is, it is, and you’ll be proud of it,” Saleh said. “Then, from there we just find ways to get better. So, like I said, he’s going to be one of the ones that you just got to calm down.”