After an impressive preseason, Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson is gearing up for his first NFL regular-season game.
Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in April, led scoring drives on four of his six preseason drives (2 TD, 2 FG). He completed 15-of-20 passes (75%) for 191 yards and 2 TDs for a rating of 137.7. He'll be lining up against a young, fast Panthers defense that ranked No. 18 in total defense last season, giving up 360.1 yards per game. Carolina's 22 takeaways in the 2020 season tied for ninth in the NFL.
"I hope I can just be a guy that stays in the pocket 100 percent of the time and just get the ball out of my hands and make plays and throw, but stuff is going to happen in games," Wilson said. "Pocket is going to break down, they're going to give us a defense that maybe our plays don't work against and I'm going to have to figure out how to get out, dirt the ball, extend something and then be aggressive down the field but not turn the ball over and understand when to take that risk and maybe go run for a first down. That kind of stuff is really going to come into play once we get into real games."
Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in April, led scoring drives on four of his six preseason drives (2 TD, 2 FG). He completed 15-of-20 passes (75%) for 191 yards and 2 TDs for a rating of 137.7. He'll be lining up against a young, fast Panthers defense that ranked No. 18 in total defense last season, giving up 360.1 yards per game. Carolina's 22 takeaways in the 2020 season tied for ninth in the NFL.
"I hope I can just be a guy that stays in the pocket 100 percent of the time and just get the ball out of my hands and make plays and throw, but stuff is going to happen in games," Wilson said. "Pocket is going to break down, they're going to give us a defense that maybe our plays don't work against and I'm going to have to figure out how to get out, dirt the ball, extend something and then be aggressive down the field but not turn the ball over and understand when to take that risk and maybe go run for a first down. That kind of stuff is really going to come into play once we get into real games."