Zach Wilson Looks Sharp, Jets' Defense Dominates Panthers
They came to see the No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, but the No. 2 selection from 2021 stole the spotlight.
Zach Wilson quarterbacked the New York Jets to a 13-0 halftime lead over the Carolina Panthers and Tim Boyle steered the offense the rest of the way in the eventual 27-0 preseason road win.
Carolina rookie field general Bryce Young finished 4-of-6 passing for 21 yards and was sacked by Quinton Jefferson on his last snap of the day. Gang Green’s defense totaled five sacks as part of a dominant effort that limited the Panthers to 10 first downs and 3.4 yards per play.
"Our d-line got after them early, and, really for all four quarters, made it hard for them to operate from play to play," said Jets' head coach Robert Saleh.
Making his second consecutive preseason start, Wilson was efficient during his two quarters of playing time on Saturday. He went 14-of-20 passing for 123 yards and one touchdown and also rushed two yards for a first down.
"I feel like I was comfortable," said Wilson in a self-assessment of his performance. "Some good and some things I want to keep working on."
The top highlight from Wilson’s outing has to be the successful 2:00 drill that resulted in a touchdown right before halftime. The third-year pro completed all five pass attempts during the eight-play, 61-yard march that took 1:58 off the second quarter clock.
Wilson, who connected with five different receivers on the drive, hit a wide-open Kenny Yeboah for a two-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the first half.
"I thought he was poised and ran the offense. We played a lot of the starters today on offense and thought he did a really nice job," said Saleh.
Once billed as the Jets’ franchise quarterback before losing his starting job last year, Wilson appears to be experiencing a bit of a re-birth as Aaron Rodgers’s understudy. He was sharp from the start of Saturday’s preseason contest in Charlotte.
The 24-year-old Wilson completed his first four throws of the game, including two third-down conversions, while setting up a 47-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein that gave the Green & White a 3-0 lead 6:35 into the opening quarter.
Tim Boyle threw second-half scoring strikes to rookie tight ends EJ Jenkins and Zack Kuntz. Boyle finished 9-of-10 passing for 84 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Jets’ first-round rookie edge rusher Will McDonald accounted for 1.0 sack and two quarterback hurries. Quinton Jefferson, Bruce Hector and Deslin Alexandre all recorded solo sacks while Jermaine Johnson and Bryce Huff shared one.
"We like to say the team goes as we go," said Johnson on the defensive line. "That's high expectations, high standards, but everybody in that room's willing to live up to it. We take that as an honor."
With Gang Green’s defense swarming in the first half, the Panthers managed only 32 yards on 18 plays while going 0-of-5 on third-down attempts.
Fifth-round rookie Israel Abanikanda led Gang Green's stable of ball carriers with 87 yards from scrimmage. The Brooklyn-born running back, who had a 26-yard burst down to the 1-yard line late in the first half, rushed 12 times for 56 yards and added 31 yards on three receptions. Undrafted rookie Travis Dye accounted for 57 yards on 13 touches.
Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight split running back duties on the first couple possessions of the game.
"We ran the ball really, really well," said Saleh.
Prior to the game, the Jets announced 21 players who were being held out of action for Preseason Game No. 2.
INACTIVE JETS
S Tony Adams, S Adrian Amos, CB Michael Carter II, LB Claudin Cherelus, WR Randall Cobb, DE John Franklin-Myers, CB Sauce Gardner, CB Bryce Hall. CB Justin Hardee, DE Carl Lawson, LB C.J. Mosley, DL Ifeadi Odenigbo, CB D.J. Reed, QB Aaron Rodgers, LB Chazz Surratt, RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, S Jordan Whitehead, LB Quincy Williams, DT Quinnen Williams, WR Garrett Wilson, DT Al Woods
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