Zach Wilson benched: Jets QB doesn’t believe he’s being ‘scapegoated’ despite Aaron Rodgers’ suggestion

It’s not Groundhog Day. For the second year in a row, the New York Jets have benched quarterback Zach Wilson — demoting the former No. 2 overall pick to QB3. Tim Boyle will start under center for the Jets’ Week 12 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, while Trevor Siemian will be his backup.

The Jets have lost three straight games after starting the season 4-3, and have scored a combined 24 points over this losing streak. Their offense is one of the worst in the league, as New York is the first team since 2009 to record fewer than 10 offensive touchdowns through 10 games. In the 32-6 loss to the rival Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the Jets went 0-11 on third downs. They are officially on pace to be the worst third-down offense since at least 1972. 

Benching Wilson does not fix all of the issues the Jets have on offense, and Aaron Rodgers even indicated on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Wilson is a scapegoat — something the young quarterback disagrees with. 

“I don’t think I was scapegoated. Absolutely not,” Wilson said, via ESPN. “You’ve got to look at the situation. We’re not scoring touchdowns. Regardless of what I’m doing, my job as a quarterback is to help us score points. I can sit here and say I’ve had a bunch of growth and tremendous whatever this year, but if you’re not scoring touchdowns, it doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. And I get that.”

Jets head coach Robert Saleh had been one of the few in Wilson’s corner over the last few weeks. On Nov. 13, he told reporters Wilson was playing “pretty well.” Exactly seven days later, Wilson was benched for Boyle. When asked why he is going to Boyle, Saleh said, “Just to give him an opportunity, different style of quarterback. So really it’s just to give him an opportunity to see if we can do something with the offense.”

Wilson had to manage behind a terrible offensive line that has dealt with numerous injuries, but there’s no doubt the quarterback play could have been better. The third-year signal-caller is tied for last in completion percentage (59.2%), ranks No. 25 in passing yards per game (194.4) and has registered the third-worst QBR this season (31.0). 

The Jets offense currently ranks No. 30 in scoring (15 points per game), No. 29 in yards per play (4.6) and dead last in red zone efficiency (26.09%). We’ll see if Boyle can keep the Jets in playoff contention.