The Pittsburgh Steelers might be the first opposing defense New York Jets’ QB Zach Wilson faces this season. According to Jets’ head coach Robert Saleh, Wilson is out for at least the first three games of the season with the first chance of him returning coming in Week 4 against the Steelers. Saleh made the announcement moments ago, as shared by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Wilson suffered a knee injury on a preseason scramble. Initial fears were that Wilson tore his ACL but tests showed he only tore his meniscus. Still, the injury required surgery and will keep him out at least the first three weeks of the year. Until Wilson returns, veteran Joe Flacco will start, setting up a Week 1 opener against his old team the Baltimore Ravens.
The Jets’ quirky schedule pits them against the AFC North for the first four weeks of the season, playing the Browns in Week 2, Bengals in Week 3 before travelling to Pittsburgh for Week 4. If Wilson isn’t fully healthy and cleared for that game, Flacco will again be the Jets’ starter. He’s no stranger to facing the Steelers’ defense, battling them twice a year during his days with the Ravens. In his regular season career, Flacco is 10-11 against the Steelers.
Wilson, the second overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, struggled as a rookie. Last year, he completed just 55.6% of his passes and threw more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (9) as he went 3-10 as the team’s starter. He was also sacked 44 times. New York has attempted to give him more offensive firepower this offseason, drafting Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson in the first round of this year’s draft and Iowa State RB Breece Hall in the second round while beefing up their offensive line with Laken Tomlinson, who Saleh coached in San Francisco. They also signed former Bengals’ TE C.J. Uzomah to be another weapon in the Jets’ offense.
Pittsburgh and New York will square off October 2nd at 1 PM/EST.
