The Jets are Zach Wilson’s team again.
To borrow a phrase former Jets head coach Adam Gase uttered more often than he’d have liked in his unremarkable two-year stint with the team: “Not ideal.’’
Not ideal?
Not on Monday night, when Wilson, the Jets’ No. 2 overall draft pick in 2021, produced the most important moments of his professional life, spelling an injured Aaron Rodgers and helping lead the Jets to a stirring, improbable 22-16 overtime upset of the Bills in the season opener at a stunned and frenzied MetLife Stadium.
The game was won on an electric 65-yard punt return for a TD by rookie receiver Xavier Gipson, who was a star on the HBO series “Hard Knocks’’ when he made the team.
The Jets entire existence has revolved around Rodgers since the moment they acquired him in the offseason trade with Green Bay.
Wilson’s NFL career has been characterized by his struggles to prove his worth as the team’s franchise quarterback as he compiled an 8-14 record with a 55.2 percent career completion percentage, 15 TDs, 18 INTs and a 70.9 rating entering Monday’s game.
Now, with Rodgers likely out for the season with a suspected ruptured left Achilles, Act II of Wilson’s career begins.
Four plays into Rodgers’ career as the Jets’ starting quarterback, he suffered the injury when Buffalo linebacker Leonard Floyd sacked him and he twisted the left leg under his body.
Enter Wilson, who tied the game at 13-13 with a 3-yard scoring pass to Garrett Wilson with 4:55 remaining in the game and finished 14 of 21 for 140 yards, one TD and one INT.
“I thought he was awesome,’’ Jets coach Robert Saleh said of Wilson. “He had a couple of clutch third-down throws to extend drives and score points. He had good command of the huddle and line of scrimmage and I thought he was gritty. He threw the interception and bounced back. It didn’t snowball into anything big.’’
Zach Wilson said the TD to Garrett Wilson was supposed to be a run play.
“We had a run play called and ‘G’ is always pushing me to throw the fade, throw the fade, throw the fade. We had a run play called and I just looked out there and saw ‘G’ and I was like, ‘I’m throwing this one up and he’s going to go up there and make a play.’
“It wasn’t the best throw, but that dude has unbelievable ball skills and he’s going to come down with it.’’
Wilson called the night “emotional’’ because of the Rodgers circumstances.
“I have so much love for him, my heart goes out to him,’’ Wilson said. “That’s tough. It hurts us as a team, but my job as a quarterback is I’ve got to step up and I’ve got be as efficient as I can in the offense. I’ve tried to learn as much as I can from [Rodgers] but I’ve also got to be ready to go.’’
He was on this night.
Now the Jets need him to be for the rest of the season.
“With his composure and how comfortable he was in the pocket and knowing all his reads, he managed the huddle really well,’’ tight end Tyler Conklin said. “You can definitely see a big difference. You saw it all camp. Aaron helping him with stuff and you saw it translate in practice and you saw it in the game today.
“I’ve got confidence in Zach and the big thing is he has a lot of confidence in himself right now. I’m excited to go through this season him.’’
