Garrett Wilson calls Jets' offensive performance 'inexcusable' and 'disappointing'

Garrett Wilson was feeling guilty late Monday. He believed he and his offensive teammates were letting down the Jets defense.

After all, everything about the Monday Night Football loss to the Chargers looked ugly. And Wilson, a star cog in the offense, had a miserable outing at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands.

“It’s inexcusable, man, and it’s getting to the point where it’s disappointing,” Wilson told reporters. “I hate coming off the field, looking our defense in the eyes and knowing that we have to send them back out there after a three-and-out. Them boys are my dogs and they come out and ball. They put us in a great position. It’s time for us to start returning the favor, man. It’s time. We got to figure it out.”

So far, the Jets offense has rarely held up their end of the football bargain. The team, which had managed a three-game winning streak, has scored only eight offensive touchdowns this season. That averages to one offensive touchdown per game. That’s not a winning formula in the NFL. As everyone knows, the Jets tried to instantly revamp its offense this season by signing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to mix with younger talent like Wilson and running back Breece Hall. But when Rodgers was lost for the year in the season opener, coach Robert Saleh needed to turn back to Zach Wilson, the one-time No. 2 pick of the NFL Draft. Rodgers is hinting he can be back in a “few weeks.” But with this Jets line?

Wilson, the first-rounder in 2022, is one of the top young receivers in the league. Rodgers raved about him, comparing him to his former teammate, Davante Adams. Although he had the fumble on Monday night, he also caught seven passes for 80 yards.

.@ZachWilson & @GarrettWilson_V get us going in the second half.#LACvsNYJ on ESPN pic.twitter.com/VJkAmIrm2Y

— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 7, 2023

Jets’ defense manhandled Justin Herbert, but still lost

So it hurt when Wilson fumbled a catch in the first quarter against the Chargers. It came at a bad time, as if there are good times for fumbles. The Chargers had just scored their first touchdown on an 87-yard punt return. The Jets couldn’t answer. And then Wilson turned the ball over. Momentum switched to the Chargers and stayed there.

Meanwhile, the Jets couldn’t get their running game going and Zach Wilson attempted a career-high 49 passes. The Chargers defense sacked him eight times and Wilson suffered two fumbles. Did we mention that the Chargers pass defense ranked 31st in the NFL coming into the game? A defensive wall they are not.

Conversely, the Jets defense limited Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to a career-low 136 yards passing. The defense also sacked Herbert five times.

Could it be the offensive scheme the Jets are using? Is that the issue?

“I don’t know, man, I really don’t know,” Garrett Wilson said. “I like to think that isn’t the case and that it’s truly things that we can just watch the film and be like, ‘All right, we have to do this better and this will lead to a touchdown.'”