New York Jets rookie Zach Wilson continued his strong preseason, delivering a near-perfect performance Saturday against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
The No. 2 overall draft pick finished with a 154.7 passer rating, completing nine of 11 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Wilson was sharp and poised, showing an ability to see the entire field — not easy for some rookie quarterbacks. He led the starting offense to two touchdowns and a field goal in four possessions, yielding to backup Mike White in the final minute of the first half.
After a handful of shaky practices early in training camp, the former BYU star has turned around his summer with two good performances in the preseason. The only caveat is that Wilson has yet to play against a starting defense. The Packers played only two regulars, and they were pulled after only two series.
Wilson’s favorite target was wide receiver Corey Davis, who caught four balls for 70 yards. They connected on the final play of the first quarter, when Wilson was flushed from the pocket and made an off-platform throw to Davis on the sideline — a 27-yard gain. Wilson also found Davis on two third-down plays, including a 24-yard bullet that helped set up a field goal on the opening drive.
All told, Wilson was 3-for-3 on passes that traveled more than 10 air yards, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. The scoring passes came on 18-yard completions to Tyler Kroft, who has replaced Chris Herndon as the No. 1 receiving threat at tight end.
The first touchdown was notable because Wilson, demonstrating veteran poise, looked right and threw left, freezing the safety. That opened a soft spot in the coverage, and he dropped in a perfect throw to Kroft near the goal line.
In six preseason possessions, Wilson has yet to have a three-and-out — a pretty good accomplishment for any quarterback, let alone a rookie.
The big downer for the Jets was another potentially serious injury on defense. Linebacker Jarrad Davis, one of their key free-agent additions, was carted off with an ankle injury. There was no immediate word on the prognosis. This came two days after defensive end Carl Lawson, their top free-agent on defense, suffered a season-ending Achilles’ injury in a joint practice with the Packers.