The general expectation for New York Jets second-year quarterback Zach Wilson is a sizable jump. Wilson will be expected to do his job well and lead the Jets to more victories in the win column in 2022. In order for more wins, Wilson will have to be more consistently productive on the stat sheet. Below, we will assess some of his key numbers from his rookie year and project what is fair to expect this season.
- Yankees’ veteran infielder has rehab assignment delayed after MRI revealed lack of healing
- Yankees place hard-throwing reliever on 15-day IL with hip injury
- Yankees preparing to make superstar ‘top priority’ in free agency next off-season
Review of 2021 production
In the first year of his career, Wilson started in 13 games. He concluded with 213 completions on 383 passing attempts, giving him a 55.6 completion percentage. Wilson threw for 2,334 yards which placed his yards per attempt at 6.1. He finished the 2021 season with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In total, this put Wilson’s QB rating at 69.7.
These stats as a whole put Wilson at a per-game average of 16.4 completions, 29.5 attempts, 179.5 yards, 0.69 touchdowns, and 0.85 interceptions.
On the ground, Wilson had 29 rushing attempts on the year, going for 185 yards, an average of 6.4 per run. He had four rushing touchdowns. When combining his passing and rushing numbers, Wilson had 2,519 yards and 13 touchdowns as a first-year quarterback.
Outlook for 2022
Considering the stability of New York Jets’ offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, Wilson should be more confident with the scheme. He will be going into year two with talented skill position players Michael Carter, Elijah Moore, and Corey Davis. Then, to add Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and three tight ends in C.J. Uzomah, Tyler Conklin, and Jeremy Ruckert, Wilson has many more viable options.
The offensive line returns three good starters in George Fant, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Connor McGovern. His offensive line is vastly improved to have a healthy Mekhi Becton and Pro-Bowl veteran in Laken Tomlinson.
The first key thing with Wilson this season is his health. Playing in all 17 games gives him the best opportunity to bolster his final stat-line. From there, a fair projection in terms of completions would be around 325 for the year. This would give him an average of 19.1 per game, a steady improvement from 16.4 in year one. In terms of total passing attempts, a realistic expectation would be about 525, an average 0f 30.9 a week. This would lead to a nice rise in completion percentage from 55.6 to 62%.
A good prediction would be 3,750 on the year in terms of passing yards. Per week, his average would be 220.6, a jump of over 40-yards from his rookie season. His yards per attempt would go up a yard to 7.1. With regard to passing touchdowns, Wilson should have 25 by the season’s end. Anticipate his interception total being similar to last year, around 12. A 2-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio would be awesome for Wilson.
On the ground, he should run for 250 yards and around five touchdowns. This would give him in total 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in year two.
If Wilson can produce at a level like this, there will be tremendous optimism regarding his future growth. In the end, this would likely lead to many more wins in 2022 for the Jets.