DENVER— Bo Nix watched from the sidelines on Sunday. Sean Payton watched with sunglasses.
And after one possession, the day belonged to Zach Wilson. In Sunday’s final game of the season, Wilson, who has 33 career appearances, surpasses the total of Nix and Jarrett Stidham, basically has a ton of experience.
A preseason finale in which a team rests 30 players from its active roster and the Arizona Cardinals also leave their regular players on the bench will not, at first glance, have much impact.
But once Wilson settled in, overcame a strong pass rush and found himself in his longest stretch yet as the leader of Sean Payton’s offense, he found his rhythm.
And that, he admitted, hasn’t happened very often in his three seasons with the Jets, during which he went from savior to scapegoat in what felt like a single New York minute.
“I can’t remember many games in my career where it felt like we were getting into a rhythm,” he said.
He did it on Sunday. And part of that was because he led the offense with the confidence that if they couldn’t move the ball this time, they would get it going later.
“Even if you lose three plays or get stopped here and there, you think, ‘We’re going to get something together on the next drive,'” Wilson said. “It feels good to feel that as an offense; one bad play happens and you expect something good to happen on the next one.”
The Broncos punted four times during Wilson’s eight series, but only once in those four possessions that ended in a punt did they manage to lose three balls.
And Wilson led the offense to points on every punt in the drive that followed: three touchdowns and a field goal. And none of the possessions were easy on the short field; each possession covered at least 59 yards.
Zach Wilson’s final pass of the day was a 46-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Johnson, a well-placed long pass just out of reach of a defender. He sent rockets all over the field.
“Look, he made some impressive throws,” Payton said. “The throw went in the hole to Brandon.”
“He has a strong arm down the field. I thought he was going to throw it away, even though it wasn’t there. There were a couple of sacks, but overall we moved the ball.”
But Wilson has also done it with a good approach, something Payton knows he values and was lacking under the previous quarterback with the last name Wilson, who ran the offense for 15 games last year.
“You try to gauge how the offense runs when he’s in there,” Payton said. “We had a lot of time on the clock, enough time to get in and out of plays when we needed to.”
ROOM FOR ALL THREE, INCLUDING ZACH WILSON
Sean Payton made it clear after the game that he wanted to keep all three quarterbacks. Salary cap concerns — particularly the salary differential and the fact that the Broncos could save $5 million in salary cap space if they release Jarrett Stidham, or $6 million if they trade him — were not a concern for the coach.
But just to be sure, both quarterbacks seemed to be in different spots when it came to Bo Nix’s promotion to the starting position.
Zach Wilson was essentially eliminated from contention early in training camp when Payton moved him from the rotation to the first team when it was in full gear, so he had weeks to come to terms with the idea of starting the season on the bench somewhere.
Zach Wilson on Bo Nix being named starting QB: “Yeah, I was happy for him. I mean, I don’t think it was too much of a surprise, right? I think he had a great training camp… I’m excited to see what he can do, and I think he’s ready for it.” pic.twitter.com/zSRuaO9ZKz
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) 26 August 2024
“Yeah, I was happy for him. I mean, I don’t think it was too much of a surprise, did you?” Wilson said.
“I think he had a great training camp. I told him I’m happy for him and this opportunity. I really think they’re providing him with a good situation.”
That starts with the strategic plan and includes the offensive coaches, whose names Wilson quickly rattled off when talking about Nix.
“They’re doing a great job and Bo is getting better and better,” Wilson said. “So I’m excited to see what he can do and I think he’s ready for it.”
But Stidham was in a different situation. He received half of the first-team reps, culminating in a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 16. Perhaps he, too, could see the writing on the wall. But that summer was probably his best chance to become an NFL starter, and day by day, it was slipping away from him.
“First of all, I was obviously very disappointed,” he said. “I know that I am a starting quarterback in this league. I have no doubts about that. And things just didn’t go the way I wanted them to.”
“But I know what kind of player I am, what kind of person I am. And like I said, I’ll be ready when I need to.”
Jarrett Stidham said he was “very disappointed” when he heard he lost the QB derby to Bo Nix.
“I know that I am a starting quarterback in this league. I have no doubts about that. And things just didn’t go the way I wanted them to. But I know what kind of player I am, what kind of person I am.” pic.twitter.com/Xpwq3z9Evw
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) 26 August 2024
And then again for emphasis…
“And yes, like I said,” he continued, “I have no doubt that I am a starting quality quarterback in this league.”
It’s not that Stidham didn’t get the situation under control in time, but the reaction in the Broncos locker room early Sunday night was a testament to a man who still regrets his missed opportunity.
Stidham took a series on Sunday and led the Broncos to a touchdown, fending off a pass rush on fourth down to preserve possession. He did what he had to do.
But after losing the No. 1 spot to Nix, Wilson is now charging from behind. And Wilson now has something he didn’t always have during three frustrating seasons with the Jets: confidence that’s out of rhythm.
