Zach Wilson is starting Sunday against the Lions with Mike White (ribs) not cleared for contact by team doctors, representing a huge opportunity at redemption for Wilson, who was benched three weeks ago.
With a strong performance Wilson can potentially jumpstart his career and the Jets (7-6) playoff hopes. They are currently on the outside of the playoff picture.
It also gives him a chance to avoid a dubious distinction. He currently has the worst passer rating in the NFL among all qualified QBs after also finishing dead last in that category in 2021.
No quarterback since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger has finished last in NFL passer rating in multiple seasons, and here Wilson is on the cusp of doing this in back-to-back years.
Wilson has started 20 games up to this point in his career and he has several low benchmarks among active quarterbacks.
- He has the fewest career touchdown passes (13) of any active QB through 20 career starts.
- He's never thrown for more than two touchdown passes in a game. He's the first QB to do that through 20 starts since Carson Wentz.
- He has the second-lowest completion percentage (55.6%) among any active QB through 20 career starts, ahead of only Blaine Gabbert.
| Zach Wilson Career Ranks Among Active QBs Through 20 Starts | ||
|---|---|---|
Completion rate | 55.6% | 2nd-worst |
TD-INT Ratio | 0.81 | 2nd-worst |
Pass TD | 13 | Worst |
Passer rating | 70.7 | 3rd-worst |
And believe it or not, his numbers put him in major bust territory, as they are dangerously close to JaMarcus Russell's through 20 starts.
Over first 20 career starts
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 21, 2022
Zach Wilson JaMarcus Russell
70.7 Pass Rating 70.6
13-16 Pass TD-INT 15-13
55.6% Comp pct 52.1%
6.3 Yards/Att 6.2
8-12 W-L 6-14 pic.twitter.com/5cOS3T0oyc
Of course, now he has the chance to climb up from the bottom of the NFL leaderboards and separate himself from that comparison, especially against a Lions defense that ranks last in the NFL in expected points added per game this year.
