National Football League

Jets defense thrilled to see Zach Wilson 'cookin' like that' in QB's return

Published Dec. 13, 2023 9:57 a.m. ET

Zach Wilson played with confidence and command last Sunday for the New York Jets. And his teammates on defense loved every minute of it.

Wilson bounced back from a two-game benching to have arguably the best performance of his nearly three-year career, going 27-of-35 for 301 yards while setting career highs with a 75% completion rate and a 117.9 passer rating in the Jets' 30-6 romp over the Houston Texans.

"When we're out there and we see Zach cookin' like that, we're smiling and our hearts are so big smiling for Zach because we know what he's been through," said defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.

"We know all the stuff he's had to endure, and we know the player that he is," Thomas added. "We know the throws he can make, we know the talent he has. And for him to just go show everyone who he is — because that's who Zach is, he can play like that every game — we're excited for him and we just want him to know that he has our support and we love him."

Wilson and the offense have struggled mightily this season and the 2021 No. 2 overall pick was benched for two games in favor of the since-waived Tim Boyle. After a scoreless first half in his return, Wilson marched the Jets downfield for touchdowns on back-to-back drives to start the third quarter and New York had its second-largest scoring output of the season.

"I know it was frustrating for those guys for it to not have been clicking as much as they wanted it to," edge rusher Jermaine Johnson said. "So I know it was a big relief."

From outside the facility, the issues on offense appeared a possible source of contention from the defense — which has played well and kept New York in most games this season.

"There's been a lot of talk this year about animosity building, you know, the offense and defense," Thomas said. "The whole time has been love."

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The win over Houston snapped a five-game skid and the Jets (5-8) will take on the Miami Dolphins, who routed them 34-13 on Nov. 24. Miami's scoring total included a pick-six.

"You never want an opponent to put up 34 points on us, and especially when as a defense I feel like we're having a great game," Thomas said. "But you look at the score and it doesn't feel like that. So we want to show who we are again. We know who we are, but we want to make sure that we play our ball against them."

Reporting by The Associated Press.