Any modicum of progress from a Jets quarterback in the past has been squeezed so tightly that his future was suffocated by outsized expectations and, in most cases, delusionary, reactionary behavior from the organization itself.
Zach Wilson was O.K. on Sunday in a win over the Titans. It was his first O.K. game of the year after starting the season with games that ranged from almost O.K. to hit-the-eject-button, this-is-definitely-not-O.K. terrifying. The Jets needed a missed field goal in overtime to escape without a tie. They also needed one of the more spirited defensive playcalling performances of Robert Saleh’s career, which included some perfectly-timed blitzes and the bolstering of a cardboard secondary that didn’t fold even after the entire unit was stomped on by Derrick Henry.