Zach Wilson had a tough week.
National media and fans, including legendary Jets quarterback Joe Namath, were calling for his job. And after two underwhelming performances as the team’s reinstated starting QB, the Jets added veteran Trevor Siemian to their practice squad, seemingly as another option if Wilson continued to struggle.
Wilson was almost able to turn lemons into lemonade with a solid performance in front of a national TV audience Sunday night — only to commit one crucial error that helped seal his team’s fate in a 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. On NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast, Wilson was shown on the sideline appearing to tell his backup, Tim Boyle, “I lost the game. It’s my fault, bro.”
Boyle and other Jets players could be seen consoling their beleaguered quarterback. After the game, Lakers superstar LeBron James took to his Instagram Stories to post that video clip along with an encouraging message for Wilson.
“Helluva game kid!” James wrote. “You win as a team and lose as well as a team! 1 play doesn’t define the whole game!”
After the Jets fell behind 17-0 in the first quarter, Wilson rallied his team to a 20-20 tie in the second half. But with his team down by three midway through the fourth quarter, Wilson fumbled away a snap, which gave Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes the opportunity to run out the clock for the win.
“To be driving right there and to drop a snap — I cannot do that,” Wilson told reporters after the game. “I lost us that game, and I can’t do that.”
Wilson completed 28 of 39 passes for 245 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was by far his best performance since taking over for starter Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury early in the season opener.
“Keep ya head up high and keep pushing forward!!” James wrote in his Instagram post to Wilson. “If it was easy everyone would do it!”
Former NFL cornerback and current analyst Richard Sherman also praised Wilson.
During a postgame interview on Peacock, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones went as far as to call Wilson a “special” player.
“I’m not someone to bash a kid because they had a couple bad games. I think it’s important to give a guy respect,” Jones said of Wilson as highlights from the game were shown on the screen. “Look at those throws he’s making right there. The kid is special. You give him a little time, he can dice you up.”
