Joe Namath critical of Jets coaching, Zach Wilson amid quarterback’s continued struggles

Zach Wilson’s fifth career start against AFC East rival New England Patriots ended like all the others, with the New York Jets offense on the losing end — this time a 15-10 setback on Sunday.

Despite the Jets trudging offensively through the first three quarters, Wilson and New York had the chance to win late, but the third-year pro couldn’t deliver a game-winning drive as the Jets fell to 1-2 on the season.

Several times during the game, Jets legend Joe Namath — who led the franchise to its only NFL championship in Super Bowl III — criticized both the beleaguered quarterback and the team’s coaching staff.

Twice, Namath called out Wilson — who was sacked three times — on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Wilson completed 18 of 36 passes for 157 yards in a game where New York had multiple failures offensively.

The Jets had 38 rushing yards and averaged just 1.7 yards per carry.

New York had just 60 total yards offensively heading into the fourth quarter.

The Jets punted on eight of their first nine possessions.

Amid those struggles, Namath questioned if Wilson is playing like he is being coached while also calling for change if things don’t turn around.

Despite that cold start, Wilson led the Jets on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that gave New York hope to pull out a win.

The 13-play, 87-yard drive midway through the fourth was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Nick Bawden, and it cut the Jets’ deficit to 13-10.

Wilson completed 7 of 10 passes on the drive — including six straight completions at one point — for 79 yards. Early in the possession, he completed an 18-yard pass to tight end Tyler Conklin on third-and-5.

The Jets had their chances to rally for the win after that, though multiple opportunities came up short.

After New York forced the Patriots to punt on their ensuing possession, Wilson was sacked for a safety on a third-and-15 inside the Jets 10.

Now down 15-10, the Jets again forced a New England punt, and New York started a drive at its own 45 with just under two minutes to play and possessing two timeouts. After three straight incompletions, though, Wilson threw short on fourth-and-10 on a play that netted just a 2-yard gain.

Inexplicably, the Jets had one final opportunity, after the Patriots were forced to punt and New York started a drive at its own 17 with 22 seconds remaining.

Wilson hit Garrett Wilson for a 29-yard pass on the first play and the Jets spiked the ball with two seconds remaining to set up a Hail Mary toss.

Zach Wilson was able to get a pass to the goal line on the game’s final play, but it fell harmlessly to the ground, even after receiver Randall Cobb got a hand on it after the ball was tipped.

Jets coach Robert Saleh said Wilson, who replaced Aaron Rodgers just four snaps into the season after the veteran tore his Achilles, will remain the starter. The franchise traded for Rodgers this offseason to replace the young Wilson as starter, a move that was seen as a vital piece to snap the Jets’ 12-year playoff drought.

“Even with Aaron at quarterback, we knew there were going to be some hiccups along the way because of a new offense, new playcaller, new O-line, new players all over the offensive side of the ball,” Saleh told reporters. “Now you’ve got this curveball that was sent to us, so they’re acclimating. They’re going to get better, but it’s still very early in the season.”

Wilson owned the poor performance that saw New York finish with just 171 total net yards.

“It’s tough, we didn’t do anything on offense, especially in the first three quarters,” Wilson said, per SNY TV. “Got to sustain drives, we got to stay on the field, we got to put together something. Lot of frustration for everybody on offense. We got to just keep going, watch the film, get better.”

When Rodgers went down in Week 1, Namath threw his support behind Wilson.

How will Wilson and the Jets respond after a second straight loss?

The road won’t get any easier, as New York hosts Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday.