As I'm sure most of you noticed, I took a week off. Mainly for my own sanity but there wasn't much to breakdown from our 8 point explosion against the Falcons anyway and it felt like the season was over. The season is still all but over but you all know I had to come back this week to breakdown what was maybe Zach Wilson's best game as a pro. The biggest question is, can Zach maintain this level of play for 4 more games? My money is on "No" but we'll see. At the very least, he could elevate his trade value from a future pick swap to maybe a 4th-5th rounder if he keeps this up. Or maybe the Jets decide to hang onto him and he works out after Rodgers walks away. Unlikely, but stranger things have happened in the NFL so I'm not willing to rule it out entirely. Anyway, let's get into it...(link to every throw from Zach here) 1st Quarter: 10:57, 3rd & 8: 11 personnel, trips right. GW puts his man in a blender on a deep out on the left side of the field. Zach throws a good ball to him. Gain of 16. (1-1, 16 yards) 10:21, 1st & 10: 12 personnel, I-form, Conklin comes in motion pre-snap to create a trips right look. PA boot out to the right. Makes the EDGE defender miss, and finds GW on the sideline for a gain of 7. This is a great example of why Zach is still the better option over Boyle/Siemian/Rypien. Can't imagine a better start for ZW. 2 good plays/throws, back-to-back. (2-2, 23 yards) 9:46, 2nd & 3: 12 personnel, TE twins right. PA pass. Conklin runs a seam on the right side of the field. Zach throws a beautiful ball, right where it needed to be. Gain of 20. (3-3, 43 yards) 7:46, 2nd & 10: 21 personnel, offset I right. PA pass. Almost felt like a designed screen but I don't think it was. Breece leaks out to the left flat after the play fake. Zach hits him about 4-5 yards behind the LOS and Breece does Breece things and makes a few guys miss for a gain of 6 yards. (4-4, 49 yards) 6:56, 3rd & 4: 11 personnel, empty set, quads right. Conklin goes in motion right to left to create a trips look on the right. The first Zach mistake of the game. Gotta get rid of the ball here. The OL did him no favors and essentially allowed everyone through but he's gotta be more aware here. Can't take a sack and get knocked out of FG range. But Becton gets beat and Tippman lets his man cross his face on a stunt and those guys meet at Zach for the sack. Inexcusable to allow pressure against a 4 man rush that quickly. (4-4, 49 yards) 1:19, 1st & 20: 11 personnel, trips right. Breece motions from Zach's left to Zach's right in the gun look. RPO where Zach hits Gipson in the right flat on the bubble. Zach should've put a little more on this ball as it looked like it hung up in the air for too long (maybe it slipped out of his hand?). But good decision and Gipson is able to get 3 yards. (5-5, 52 yards) 0:42, 2nd & 17: 11 personnel, 2x2. Zach hits Breece on a Texas route out of the backfield. Gain of 8. (6-6, 60 yards) 2nd Quarter: 15:00, 3rd & 9: 11 personnel, trips left. GW runs a deep out from the slot and ZW almost hits him on the sideline. Very difficult throw to make and GW can't get both feet down. Incomplete. Hanson got absolutely smoked and allowed pressure quickly but what else would you expect from a 4th string OG? (6-7, 60 yards) 10:22, 3rd & 7: 11 personnel, 2x2. OL holds up well against the 4 man rush. Zach doesn't like what he sees downfield so he hits Conklin on a sit down route on the right side of the formation. Gain of 6. Set ups a 4th down though. I'll never be a fan of throwing that short of the sticks on 3rd but it does set up a 4th & 1 and the Jets go for it and get it on a jet sweep to GW. (7-8, 66 yards) 9:00, 1st & 10: 21 personnel. Bawden lined up as more of a TE. Lazard goes in motion left to right to create a trips right look. PA pass. Breece leaks into the right flat after the play fake, Zach hits him quickly and Breece goes for a gain of 25. (8-9, 91 yards) 7:34, 2nd & 15: 12 personnel, 2x2. PA pass. Breece leaks out Zach tries to hit him but the defense is right there and Breece drops it. Not a great throw form Zach, looks like the ball was behind Breece. (8-10, 91 yards) 7:28, 3rd & 15: 11 personnel, trips right. Conklin goes in motion but comes back to the right to maintain the trips right look. Jets set up a tunnel screen to Breece out of the backfield. Gain of 1 yard. (9-11, 92 yards) 4:58, 2nd & 8: 13 personnel, TE twins left. PA pass. Zach tries to hit Conklin on a chip and release. EDGE gets his hand on the ball and the pass falls incomplete. (9-12, 92 yards) 4:53, 3rd & 8: 11 personnel, 2x2. Lazard comes in motion to create a trips right look. GW runs a crosser all the way across the field. Thought this one should've been PI as it seemed like the safety got there early. Not the best ball from Zach but a catchable one. Either way, incomplete. (9-13, 92 yards) 2:06, 2nd & 9: 11 personnel, 2x2. Mitchell gets smoked by the EDGE on the right side of the formation. Defender gets to Zach as he throws the ball causing it to be a errant pass. Incomplete. (9-14, 92 yards) 2:02, 3rd & 9: 11 personnel, 2x2. Zach hits GW on a seam from the left side of the formation. GW can't complete the process of the catch. Incomplete. (9-15, 92 yards) 1st Half Breakdown: Thought Zach looked pretty good in the 1st half but it was one of those, he looks "good" for his standards. Most of the incompletions were either drops or the results of the OL allowing pressure. He had a strong start though, started 8-9. So I felt pretty good about his performance even though the points weren't there.
3rd Quarter: 1st & 10: 21 personnel, Bawden comes in motion from the left side of the formation to create a I-form look. PA boot. Zach hits Ruckert on a drag from the left side of the formation. Gain of 7. (10-16, 99 yards) 14:26, 2nd & 3: 13 personnel, TE trips right. Excellent anticipatory throw and decision from Zach here on the RPO. Immediately identifies the CB is playing a "bail" technique with his back to the QB. Zach throws one up to GW who comes down with it instead of going with the run option. Notice how the OL is blocking, this is set up to be a run to Breece up the middle. Excellent decision again. Gain of 14. (11-17, 113 yards) 13:50, 1st & 10: 21 personnel, trips right. PA pass. OL holds up extremely well. Zach hits GW on a deep out/comeback on the right sideline. Gain of 16. (12-18, 129 yards) 12:43, 1st & 15: 11 personnel, 2x2. Zach almost throws a tight window ball but pulls it down a takes off. MetLife turf almost claims another victim as Zach slips while trying to make a man miss. Ends up only gaining 3 yards. I think Zach should've tried to hold up after GW's man left him and throw it to GW but I'm not going to fault him too much for trying to make a play with his legs. (12-18, 129 yards, 1 rush, 3 yards) 12:00, 2nd & 12: 21 personnel, 2x2, Bawden split out wide left (questionable). GW runs a slant from the left slot. Zach leads him just a little bit too much and GW can't haul it in. Incomplete. (12-19, 129 yards, 1 rush, 3 yards) 11:56, 3rd & 12: 11 personnel, empty set, trips right. Bawden comes in motion to the left of Zach in the gun. Becton gets beat but Zach senses the pressure and rolls out to the left. Gets outside of the numbers, resets his feet, and throws a dart to GW down the middle of the field. GW makes a play and ultimately gains 25 yards. These are the plays that give you hope with Zach, unfortunately they're just too rare. (13-20, 154 yards, 1 rush, 3 yards) 11:11, 1st & 10: 12 personnel, TE twins right. Mesh concept where Cobb runs a drag from the left side of the formation. Creates enough traffic for him to break open and Zach throws a good ball to him. Gain of 15 and a Touchdown. (14-21, 169 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush, 3 yards) 9:33, 1st & 10: 11 personnel, trips right. Slip screen that gets blown up immediately. Loss of 5. (15-22, 164 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush, 3 yards) 8:54, 2nd & 15: 12 personnel, Breece goes in motion out of the backfield to split out wide right and create an empty set. Zach scrambles out to the right and throws a perfectly placed ball to Ruckert coming back to him on the sideline. Couldn't have put this ball in a better place. Ruckert displays some great concentration and reels it in. Gain of 11. (16-23, 175 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush, 3 yards) 8:01, 3rd & 9: 11 personnel, 2x2. Conklin runs a seam route and Zach throws him another perfect ball. Conklin goes up and gets it and comes down with it. Excellent play by everyone involved. Gain of 24. (17-24, 199 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush, 3 yards) 6:43, 2nd & 10: 21 personnel, WR twins left. Cobb comes in motion left to right. PA pass. Seems to just be a throwaway by Zach here. Can't tell if it was a good decision or not based on this view. Incomplete. (17-25, 199 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush, 3 yards) 5:57, 2nd & 7: 21 personnel, WR twins left, offset pistol look. Lazard comes in motion left to right. GW runs a curl and Zach hits him on time. Gain of 6. Would like GW to run this a bit deeper so we could get the 1st down yardage but it sets up a short 3rd down opp. (18-26, 205 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush, 3 yards) 5:21, 3rd & 1: 11 personnel, trips right. GW goes in motion to split out wide right. Another mesh concept where GW runs a drag form right to left. Zach hits him as he clears the underneath defenders. Gain of 11. (19-27, 216 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush, 3 yards) 4:38, 1st & Goal: Not a Zach play but jet sweep to Gipson. Good blocking by Lazard and Conklin allows him to get into the EZ, touchdown. 2:55, 2nd & 6: 11 personnel, Brown in as the Jumbo TE. PA pass. Conklin runs a drag from the right side of the formation. Zach hits him with a defender in his face. Gain of 7. (20-28, 223 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush, 3 yards) 2:15, 1st & 10: 12 personnel, TE twins left. Ruckert comes in motion to create a trips right look. PA pass. Slip screen to Breece. Good blocking downfield and Breece is able to make a couple of guys miss. Gain of 10. (21-29, 233 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush, 3 yards) 1:32, 1st & 10: 10 personnel, Brown in at TE again. PA pass. Brown gets absolutely smoked by Will Anderson and allows early pressure. Zach takes off and gains 10 yards but fumbles the ball. The only big mistake by Zach all day yesterday IMO. He's gotta know when to slide. You just ripped off 6-7-8 yards on 1st down. Slide down and don't take the hit. 2nd & 3 is a very manageable place to be in and we're driving the ball. Not gonna beat him up too much about it but it's still a bad mistake. (21-29, 233 yards, 1 TD, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble)
4th Quarter: 13:48, 3rd & 4: 11 personnel, empty set, trips left. Blizter comes untouched through the right side A gap. Zach still finds Breece on an out on the right sideline. Gain of 6. Excellent display of pois from Zach to complete the pass with pressure in his face. (22-30, 239 yards, 1 TD, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 13:09, 1st & 10: 21 personnel, I-form, WR twins left. PA pass. Zach hits Breece who leaked out into the left flat after the play fake. Breece has a ton of open room and gains 27. (23-31, 266 yards, 1 TD, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 11:42, 1st & 10: 11 personnel, 2x2. Becton gets beat immediately. Zach gets sacked. Becton did not have a good day yesterday. (23-31, 266 yards, 1 TD, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 11:00, 2nd & 19: 12 personnel, empty set, TE twins right, trips right. Ruckert runs a flat route to start but turns it up once he gets to the sideline. Zach almost throws it a little to early but pulls it back and layers one in perfectly overtop of the underneath zone defender. Excellent throw by Zach. Ruckert catches it and gains 19 and the first. (24-32, 285 yards, 1 TD, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 10:18, 1st & Goal: 12 personnel. 2x2. GW runs an out from the right slot. Zach throws this ball a little behind him but GW makes the catch for a gain of 7. (25-33, 292 yards, 1 TD, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 9:37, 2nd & Goal: 11 personnel, Brown in as the jumbo TE for form the TE twins right look. No one is open so Zach throws it out of the back of the EZ. (25-34, 292 yards, 1 TD, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 9:32, 3rd & Goal: 11 personnel, 2x2. Gipson comes in motion right to left to create a trips left look. Breece runs a flat route out of the backfield. Wide open. Pitch and catch for a TD. (26-35, 295 yards, 2 TDs, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 8:11, 1st & 10: 21 personnel. Bawden comes in motion to create an offset I-form look. Becton lets his man cross his face and allows a sack. Again, bad game from Becton IMO. Also, this isn't roughing? I thought Becton blocked him into Zach in real-time, which would've made it not roughing, but seems like this guy just launched himself into the back of Zach's legs after he beats Becton. (26-35, 295 yards, 2 TDs, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 7:31, 2nd & 17: 11 personnel, 2x2. GW runs an out from the left slot and Zach hits him. Gain of 6. (27-36, 301 yards, 2 TDs, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 7:01, 3rd & 11: 11 personnel, trips right. GW runs a go down the left sideline and Zach takes a shot. Not the best ball by Zach here but at this point, it's either GW makes an incredible play or it's incomplete so I'm fine with it. (27-37, 301 yards, 2 TDs, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble) 5:24, 2nd & 19: 11 personnel, 2x2. Tomlinson and Turner both get beat and those guys meet at Zach for the sack. Pretty rough game from the OL overall. (27-37, 301 yards, 2 TDs, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble)
Half by Half Breakdown: 1st Half: 9-15, 92 yards 2nd Half: 18-22, 209 yards, 2 TDs, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble Total: 27-37, 301 yards, 2 TDs, 2 rushes, 13 yards, 1 fumble TLDR; I don't think it's hyperbole to say that this was probably Zach's best game as a pro. It's right up there with the Tennessee game his rookie year and the KC game earlier in this year. While it gives me a little hope that he can turn it around, I don't think I can get back on that bandwagon just yet. I've said it in some other threads this morning but we've seen Zach play well in a handful of games in his career but he's just never able to consistently play at this level and that's been his Achilles heel. I genuinely hope that he can stack together a few more games like this down the stretch. Best case, he's turned it around and can be our guy after Rodgers, worst case we still trade him this offseason but maybe we can get some decent value for him. At the very least, it was fun to watch a beatdown yesterday. It had been way too long, so a big thank you to ZW for that!
Great job as always. I felt that Zach looked pretty good in the first half despite it not being productive points-wise. Obviously no one can (sanely) take away from his overall performance in the 2nd half. He was nothing short of outstsanding both in his escapability and his throws. If there's any knock at all, it's the fumble. I'd rather see him be smarter than trying to be Josh Allen - he already had the first down, there's nothing left to fight for there and only something to lose (the ball, in this case, maybe his head in another one). That one play gives me pause because of what it potentially says about his mental/situational awareness. Otherwise, no doubt it was his best game as a pro in my eyes. Considering the rain, the line, and the fact that he was CONSISTENT - not just flashes of little things here and there, but fully consistent in the second half, makes it an easy call.
Great analysis as always! Wonder if this improved play was a a result of what the media/articles are saying, that "the playbook was opened up for him" and that "...he was allowed to play loose and uninhibited"...I didn't se the game but would have loved to seen the body language... it often tells the story...
so i just went back and watched all his throws and this one really stood out as impressive. I'd love to see the all 22 on this. looks like a zone D, wilson pump fakes to keep the shallow zone guy in place then fires it in the spot between 3 players that he created with the pump fake.
Not sure if you're talking about that touch pass In the pocket of 3 defenders to hit Conklin but it was a really nice play. That was a big boy throw.
the 2nd and 20 with 11mins left in the 4th to ruckert for the 1st down. loks like he pump faked to open a window and then threw it in the window.
I thought that was Zach's best game as a pro by far myself. Not sure where it managed to come from after going 0 for his last 34 or whatever its been but we'll gladly take it. A little bit of an unsung hero was Bawden who made a couple of fantastic plays, without which Zach's stats and all that may not have looked quite as impressive. Actually looking forward to next week now to see if we can get a little sustainability. I mean... it happened once now and we all saw it. One would assume it could happen again.
I actually had to rewind the game because I didn't believe what I saw. I remember saying WOW out loud when it happened.
Once they started stretching the Texans vertically... everything started clicking. I hope Hackett sticks to that approach.
Well if Hackett doesn't I hope Wilson tells him to fuck off and do it anyway. What are they going to do, bench him, trade him? LOL!
I wonder how much influence Rodgers had on the game plan vs. the Texans. They run pretty much the same defense we do... so maybe that helped Zach recognize certain things. Miami is dinged up right now... let's hope Tyreek's ankle keeps his play at a sub-superman level.
Yeah that was the one, I'm used to seeing Conklin in those spots. Ruckert is getting some nice run and Zach likes throwing to him.
All-22 looks at this play here. What a beautiful ball from ZW here, truly an elite throw. Really hope we see more of this down the stretch.
