Zach Wilson seemingly took on the world in Buffalo
The New York Jets capped their 2021 NFL schedule with a showdown against the eventual AFC East champion Buffalo Bills.
The Bills entered the game at 10-6, looking to win the AFC East for the second year in a row, and all they needed to do was defeat the 4-12 Jets, led by young Zach Wilson.
Although the Jets were seemingly playing for nothing, it was not the case. Robert Saleh’s group maintained an upward trajectory when they most recently put together a nail-biting performance against the powerhouse Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a week after a victory over the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars.
The full Blewett's Blitz NY Jets film breakdown vs. the Buffalo Bills can be found at the bottom of this article
With many young players stepping up in the previous two games, mainly Wilson, the Jets hoped this would continue. Carrying the momentum into the 2022 offseason was a critical goal. This was especially the case considering the Jets boast a ton of capital—in regards to possessing a plethora of high draft picks and plenty of cap space.
Unfortunately, their high(er) level of play did not continue.
While the Jets remained somewhat competitive for most of the first half and even into the third quarter—as they kept things within a score until sometime in the third quarter—the final 27-10 score told a much more dominant story. And besides, the reason the score remained close had much more to do with the Bills’ ineptitude than actual good play from the Jets.
Let’s get things straight: New York mustered just 53 yards of total offense.
This number is obviously bad, but it’s not as bad when the circumstances are considered. Playing a Bills team that was hungry to win the division, terrible weather, a load of injuries, including the top five wide receivers on the depth chart, multiple offensive linemen and many more on the defensive side of the ball, were just some of the elements that hurt the Jets in this one.
The big questions, after the fact, are what we’re after now.
First and foremost, how well did Zach Wilson actually play? We know he didn’t have much help, but did he miss chances downfield or not? How well did Robert Saleh’s defense actually play, despite keeping the game interesting until the home stretch?
The latest episode of Blewett’s Blitz provides the answers to all of these questions and more.
