New York Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson shines in preseason outing vs. Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. — It has been a difficult week for the New York Jets, but Saturday night's preseason game brought a big-time reason to be hopeful.

And it was all thanks to No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson.

The Jets rookie quarterback played nearly the entire first half against the Green Bay Packers, and he looked quite good doing it, leading the Jets' first-team offense to their first two touchdowns of the preseason with his mistake-free performance as the Jets won 23-14.

So how did Wilson do it, and what stood out about his performance? Here's everything you need to know.

Another efficient day

Wilson's stat line on Saturday was impressive in its own right: he completed 9 of 11 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. That's a quarterback rating of 154.7, which is ... quite good. It was obviously an efficient performance, but what stood out the most was Wilson's comfort level as the first half went on.

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After a little bit of a shaky start — he missed a wide-open Corey Davis on second down early in his third drive — Wilson didn't throw an incompletion for the rest of the half. He was able to see the field well and make sound decisions, and he did a lot of it while under pressure.

Wilson was on the field for 22 plays and four drives. Three of them ended with the Jets scoring, and two of them ended in touchdowns. 

"I thought he had good command," Jets coach Robert Saleh said. "I thought he was under control. I thought he handled pressure well. He was good in and out of the huddle. He's progressing. And just like his bad days, this was a good day, and it's just another day. And he's got to continue to stack up and take the good with the bad and find ways to get better." 

It was exactly what Jets fans wanted to see from their young quarterback. And a clear sign of progress.

The most impressive moment

Wilson's best throw of the afternoon came on a first down late in the first quarter. He felt the pressure in the pocket, stepped up and delivered a strike across the field directly into the arms of Davis. It was a huge throw that set up the first touchdown of Wilson's professional career.

"Corey did a great job getting open," Wilson said. "Me and the running back screwed up a little bit right there, we were supposed to be faking the other way. But great play design to get Corey free on the sideline. But I was just glad I was able to get it to him. I've got to be cleaner in my operation of just getting guys lined up where they're supposed to be but that's what this [preseason] stuff is for."

Even though Wilson was more focused on what he could improve, that moment showed the progress that he's making. He clearly was able to see the entire field, find the open receiver and display his considerable arm talent in delivering the ball even when things didn't go exactly as planned.

The touchdowns

The first touchdown pass for the Jets' offense this preseason was from Wilson to Tyler Kroft, and it was mostly manufactured by the quarterback. He clearly took the time to read the field, found Kroft in the middle — clearly not his first read — and then delivered a precise touch pass that had just the right combination of loft and zip for Kroft to catch it near the goal line and convert.

The next touchdown was more about the play design and the run after the catch by Kroft. Late in the first half, after a big return by Corey Ballentine, the Jets started their drive on the Packers' 30. And Wilson needed only three plays to get the Jets into the end zone, finding Kroft for an 18-yard touchdown on a rollout to the left where Kroft caught the ball in stride and made a nice move to scoot into the end zone.

Other notes

The Jets lost Carl Lawson to a season-ending injury on Thursday. And it looks as if they might have lost another defensive starter to an injury: inside linebacker Jarrad Davis suffered an ankle injury in the first half and was taken back to the locker room in a cart. Saleh didn't have details on the injury but said the initial prognosis was "good."

The Jets also potentially lost backup offensive lineman Conor McDermott, who suffered a left knee injury just before halftime and was taken back to the locker room in a cart. Cornerbacks Bless Austin and Morgan Moses didn't play Saturday, but Saleh said they were out for personal reasons.  

Andy Vasquez is the Jets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. Email: vasqueza@northjersey.com; Twitter: @andy_vasquez