Last Sunday against Houston, Zach Wilson looked like a 22-year-old rookie who hadn’t played for a month.
Wilson, who threw 145 yards and made less than 60% of his passes without touchdowns or interceptions, was unhappy with his performance, but the Jets secured a win over the terrible Texans, 21-14, and that’s the game’s core. end of the day.
But he has a joyous, childlike attitude as he eagerly awaits his 5-7 Eagles on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
“This is a very interesting part of football. Even if things don’t always go great, the fun part is like, “Okay, now I can learn from this.” Put what I’ve learned this week into practice, ”Wilson said. “… Work on making my game more effective, and then how can I get it on the field and do it on Sunday.”
Overall pick # 2 makes only 57.6% of their passes, but the Eagles allow quarterbacks to make 71% of their passes, the highest in the NFL.
However, the Eagles make use of 72% of the defensive zone and do well at preventing deep blows. CBs make only 44% of passes over 20 yards. QB made only 25 passes over 20 yards, with the few being equal.
But they skip from below. This explains why QB has 6.2 estimated air yards for every attempt to counter the Eagles defenses.
Wilson has to take what the defense gives him and play “boring football” because that’s where the opportunities will be on Sunday.
The Eagles allowed QB to do 74% of their passes from zero to 19 yards (fifth in the league) and allowed 2,140 yards on those shots (second in the league).
However, Wilson is struggling in this area. He makes only 57% of his passes between the scrum line and 19 yards with two touchdowns and eight interceptions.
The eagles also succeed in applying pressure to the QB without sending heat. They pressure quarterbacks on 31% of their players, ranking fourth in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.
Wilson struggles under pressure as he completed a whopping 28% of his duress shots with a passing rating of 27. Jets attack coordinator Mike LaFleur believes it will be a collaborative effort to overcome this.
“Just again to get used to our plan and get the ball out of his hands. Again, it will always boil down to the fact that the quarterback is obviously playing this kind of game, but actually all 11, ”LaFleur said. “This is what we defend, this is the back, which is reliable in defense, this is our line, which reliably protects. They know there is a challenge ahead. The Eagles, as you said, bags, it was incredible to me on Monday when I saw how many bags they didn’t have, but then again you saw the pressure level and then you just pressed the tape and it’s like all year since Philly, they are good and they are always led by this line. ”
The Eagles’ defensive line is led by six-time Pro Bowl defender Fletcher Cox. Cox has 23 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, 13th place for a line referee in the cabin. Javon Hargrave is another defender who has seven sacks and is ranked third on the inside lineman.
“For us, we have to dominate. We have to bring a bucket of lunch and be ready to play, ”said Morgan Moses. “And I think we do that, you know, there’s no limit for us on Sundays.”
Even with all the pressure they put out, the Eagles doesn’t blitz too much. According to NGS, they used a four-person rush on 71% of their dropbacks (third in the NFL).
“Just be decisive, fast, feel this pocket close,” Wilson said. “How can I tell my guys about this, let them play … I have to be able to quickly read my readings. Figure out when to get out and just play decisively. ”
Wilson has had problems with a four-man rush, with a passing rating of 73 in such situations.
When there is a four-man rush, most of the time the teams work in the zone, which requires Wilson to process the cover. And sometimes he has difficulty reading the reportage.
“You have to have a very efficient process, how likely you are to get a preview shot, and maybe an idea like, hey, this guy could get this,” Wilson said. “But then they suddenly adjust. How can I react now and go somewhere else? And I think it’s a balance between how quickly I can see what’s going on and be able to react and change as much as my post-instant process. ”
In other cases, it is an attack line that allows you to push, forces him to fight, and then he tries to create play down the field.
This explains why he held the ball for 3.06 seconds against the fourth-longest four-man rush, but why he has the fourth highest estimated air yard per try at 9.3.
In the match with the Texans, Wilson showed a mixed game against a four. He went 8 of 14 for 73 yards and an interception, but kept the ball for 3.14 seconds. In part because of this, he tried to play like he did in the third quarter when he rolled to the left and threw a dime to Ryan Griffin in the end zone. Wilson did everything right, but Griffin missed a pass.
There are times when Wilson highlights correct process along with precision. In other cases, it does not. Overall # 2 pick would need to improve from last week for the Jets to beat the Eagles for their second straight win.
