What happened to Zach Wilson and why did the New York Jets create confusion about his injury?
With conflicting reports given during the Jets’ loss to the Dolphins on Sunday, there’s now genuine confusion over the injury suffered by New York’s QB.
Following a brutal loss on Sunday, there will most definitely be some difficult conversations in New York’s camp as well as a number of talking points in the media. One of those will undoubtedly be what exactly happened to Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and why the team couldn’t seem to get its story straight about him.
Jets baffle with handling of Zach Wilson injury
It was always going to be a tough ask for the New York Jets to beat their AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins. Not only was the team struggling on a 5-8 record coming into the game, but they were on the road to face one that was/is leading the division with a record of 9-4 before kickoff. No, there is no ‘but’ here. The Jets lost 30-0 to a well-oiled Miami machine that never gave room for doubt. Yet, that’s not where the main talking point will be for many who caught the game. Indeed, there was a strange sequence of events during the second quarter that will likely require some explaining.
At the very end of the second quarter, Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was replaced by backup Trevor Siemian and did not return to the game after the halftime break. To that end, it was Siemian who continued under center in the third quarter, finishing what turned out to be a humiliating defeat. This is where things get strange. Initially, the Jets indicated that Wilson left with a head injury, however, they made it clear it was not a concussion. No further information was given, including the type of non-concussive head injury that Wilson had suffered.
Then, 40 minutes later the team stated that Wilson had officially been ruled out with a concussion. It gets worse too. At the end of the first half, Jets PR told ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington that Wilson had left the game due to dehydration. Indeed, CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson also reported that Wilson was out with dehydration, while Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed that, saying he wasn’t sure if Wilson would be back. Ultimately, the Jets updated Wilson’s status during the third quarter from ‘dehydrated’ to ‘head injury’ indicating that he would not return. The contest was in its dying stages in the fourth quarter when the team finally stated that Wilson had suffered a concussion. In case you’re wondering, the loss, plus the fact that both the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans won, means the Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention.
OK, so what really happened to Zach Wilson?
While it’s fair to say that Wilson who threw 4-for-11 with 26 passing yards and a lost fumble did not play well. It would also be accurate to say that the Jets’ defense did not protect their quarterback, a player who was the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week. Quite frankly, the Dolphins were allowed to manhandle him on several occasions. This of course does not negate the puzzling way in which the Jets went about dealing with Wilson’s injury.
Perhaps the reason why they did so was because of how badly they wanted their starting signal caller to continue. It would certainly explain the length of time it took for an official injury designation to be given. On the other hand, when you consider the fact that the Dolphins shut out the Jets without their most potent weapon, Tyreek Hill, on the field, one has to ask ‘What’s going on in New York?’