Wilson, Davis Shine in Preseason Victory Over Packers

The performance of the Jets offense in Week 1 of the preseason was certainly promising. After Saturday’s game in Green Bay, describing the unit’s output as promising would be a massive understatement. 

On four first half drives, Zach Wilson and his crew were firing on all cylinders. The Jets rookie quarterback built on a solid showing against the Giants with a stellar performance, putting his tremendous talent on display. 

Like last week, Wilson looked composed and patient, unafraid to look through his progressions and make the right play. On the opening drive of the game, facing a third and 8 right out of the gate, the second overall pick calmly found Corey Davis over the middle for 24 yards, continuing his excellence on third down. 

The very next play, Wilson smartly checked it down to his tight end Trevon Wesco in the flat, who carried the ball for 17 yards, setting up a Matt Ammendola field goal. 

After the second drive stalled at midfield, Gang Green found their stride again right at the end of the first quarter. Starting at their own 35, a Tevin Coleman 8-yard run set up a manageable second down, but an incompletion put the Jets in another third-down situation. Wilson delivered once more, finding Davis over the middle, who brought the ball into Packers territory before stepping out of bounds. 

Then, the BYU product delivered his best throw of the day. Maneuvering to his right, showing excellent pocket mobility, he threw a dart across his body to an open Davis, a 27-yard pickup that put New York in the red zone. 

Wilson and Davis appear to be developing a strong partnership, with the young signal-caller clearly making the former Titan his go-to receiver on big plays. It is promising that Davis continues to find openings with Elijah Moore on the sideline as well. When Moore makes his long-awaited debut, the field will only open up further, an exciting prospect for offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. 

After a short run and a penalty, the Jets were left with 2nd and 12 at the Green Bay 18. Standing strong in the pocket with lots of time, Wilson found Tyler Kroft down the seam in a tight window, just before the oncoming safety reached the tight end, who dove into the end zone for the score. On the last first team drive, the offense picked up right where they left off. After a huge kick return from Corey Ballentine put the Jets at the Packers 30, two strong runs from Ty Johnson to the right side gave New York a first and 10 at the 18. 

Already having established the threat of the run, Wilson rolled out to his left on play action and again found Kroft, who easily took it to the house with acres of space in front of him for his second touchdown. 

With the halftime score sitting at 17-14, Wilson finished his outstanding day 9-of-11 for 128 yards and two touchdowns, with a nearly perfect passer rating of 154.7. If there were any doubts about the potential of the 22-year-old, and New York’s offense as a whole, those have now largely gone out the window. 

With reinforcements on the O-line and at wide receiver on the way, there is a lot to look forward to in New York. 

MORE:

• How the New York Jets Can Try to Replace Carl Lawson
• What Carl Lawson's Season-Ending Injury Means For the Jets
• 'It's a Great Challenge': Joint Practice With Packers to Benefit Jets on Both Sides of Ball

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