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AROUND THE SHIELD — There are no moral victories in the NFL, but if there were, Zach Wilson may have just clinched a playoff berth with them after Sunday night.
The former BYU quarterback threw for 245 yards and two scores in New York's 23-20 loss to Kansas City on a Harrison Butker field goal, but he's being hailed for his performance for the 1-3 Jets.
When the Chiefs (3-1) survived a defense that pulled two interceptions off Patrick Mahomes and limited the former Texas Tech gunslinger to 18-of-30 passing and a 63.6 quarterback rating, it was Mahomes pulling Wilson off the mat.
Play like that all year, and you're going to win plenty of games, Mahomes could be heard telling Wilson in earshot of media cameras — though in slightly more colorful language — moments after the game ended following a questionable penalty call.
"He played his tail off. He battled," Mahomes told NBC after the game. "We have a good defense, and he made a lot of big-time throws into the windows and down the field.
"I've watched him since his BYU days, so I was proud of him to go out there and show out. Luckily, we got the win in the end."
Great game @nyjets 🤝 pic.twitter.com/YVcDrU64Uh
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 2, 2023
The third-year signal caller who started the year as a backup before Aaron Rodgers' devastating Achilles injury four snaps into the 2023 regular season was cool and calm as he led the Jets in front of a sellout crowd that included Taylor Swift on Sunday Night Football in New Jersey. Wilson flung darts to his receivers, including a 10-yard bomb to Allen Lazard that tied the game at 20-all early in the third quarter.
His 2-point conversion on a run was daring, if not spectacular.
With the eyes of Swifties around the world looking on — and new beau Travis Kelce limited to six catches for 60 yards by a defense that sacked Mahomes once and had nine quarterback hits — Wilson made good use of his primetime audience, even with a fumble that lifted the Chiefs to the win.
Still, Wilson earned the respect of a King.
"Helluva game kid!" wrote NBA star LeBron James on Instagram, with a video of Wilson being consoled by his teammates in the final minute of the game. "You win as a team and lose as well as a team! One play doesn't define the whole game!! Keep ya head up high and keep pushing forward!! If it was easy, everyone would do it!"
Added Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons on X, formerly Twitter: "This platform should (have) been a moment to praise the Chiefs and the win!!" he wrote. "This guy is trying to completely tear Zach Wilson down!! I don't get it!! I honestly hope Zach proves a lot of these people wrong!"
The Jets fell behind early, when Mahomes hit Noah Gray for a 34-yard touchdown to put the Chiefs up 17-0 to end the first quarter. Then Wilson started dealing, including finding CJ Uzomah with a 1-yard strike with 6:26 left in the half to cut the deficit to 17-12.
Butker's 37-yard field goal kept Kansas City in front 20-12 at halftime, but neither Wilson nor the Jets went away.
"I thought he was really good," Jets coach Robert Saleh said. "He gave us a chance to win the game, brought us back. If he plays like that, we're going to win a lot of football games. You can always take positives out of any situation. No moral victories, but I would've liked to have seen if he could've pulled one off on that last drive."
Wilson didn't just look to out-duel Mahomes through stretches of the game, he did, at least statistically. The Corner Canyon product completed 28-of-39 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns for a quarterback rating of 105.2, while Mahomes was 18-of-30 for 203 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Perhaps most importantly, Wilson took accountability for his play — including the loss, and the fumble that still visibly haunted him when he addressed the New York media after the game. He credited his coaches and teammates for his own play.
But about that critical dropped snap ...
"It's on me. Critical situation, I can't have a play like that," he said. "I cannot drop the ball. This team is sacrificing a lot, guys were making plays, defense was making plays, the O-line was protecting, receivers were making plays. To drop a snap, I cannot do that. I lost us that game, and I cannot do that. I was making it clear to those guys that I need to be better, on the little things, the details. It can't happen."
It's the first time in his career — collegiate or pro — that Mahomes has had fewer completions, passing yards, touchdown passes and more interceptions than his opposing quarterback. That's 127 total starts, including the postseason, by the two-time Super Bowl champion, according to OPTA Stats.
"There was no question, when you're backed in a corner, you swing," said Saleh, complimenting Wilson's decisive throws and plays. "That's all you can do. And that's a locker room that can."
