New York Jets quarterback Jack Wilson suffered perhaps the most humiliating game of his NFL career, as he was booed Thursday night at MetLife Stadium and replaced by former practice squad quarterback Chris Streveler in a 19-3 loss to the Jaguars.
Yeah, it's [tough]," Wilson said of the excited fans. "I don't blame them. We have a passionate fan base, and they come here to watch us score touchdowns.
We're not scoring touchdowns, we're not getting first downs, we're not moving the ball and obviously, we're not throwing the ball. Of course they will be disappointed.
Wilson completed just nine of 18 passes for 92 yards and one interception, which came in a letdown before halftime. He finished with a 5.2 QBR. It was the Jets' fourth straight loss, but ruined their playoff chances.
Coach Robert Saleh said he didn't consider benching Wilson at halftime even though they had 66 total yards and trailed 13-3, but he removed him with 3:31 left in the third quarter.
By then it was 16-3. In came Streveler, who was promoted from the practice squad hours before the game. He immediately led the offense on its longest drive, though it didn't turn into a point.
Saleh said he did not bench Wilson. He said he approached Streveler with the hope that his running ability would spark their dormant ground game.
While that may have been the primary reason for the change, Saleh let Streveler play the rest of the game, leaving Wilson, the second overall pick in 2021, on the bench.
Wilson was benched five weeks ago in favor of Mike White, a former fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys who has sprung up the offense.
On Thursday night, he was replaced by a journeyman whose claim to fame was coming off the back of three wins in the preseason.
We were trying to transition to the run game," Saleh said. "I know Zach was struggling. Streveler came in, he ran a few plays, spread the offense and got the explosive play.
It snowed in a good way for Strave. So we wanted to give him a chance to finish the drive. When we got it back, we decided we're already here, so let's go with Strave."