Patriots: Mac Jones-Zach Wilson comparison isn’t even a discussion

The New York Jets had the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots were slotted at No. 15. Can you guess which franchise ended up with the better quarterback?

Woah! Just kidding, we’re not going to jump to conclusions that drastically, but the early returns in the Zach Wilson vs Mac Jones “debate” heavily favor the former Alabama star … and it’s not even close. In fact, it’s not even a discussion!

Jones and the Pats pummeled the Jets to the tune of a 25-6 victory on Sunday. New England is now 1-1 while New York is 0-2.

And the stark difference was the quarterback play.

The Patriots didn’t get anything fancy from Jones, who finished 22-of-30 for 186 yards, but he moved the ball when he needed to, helped his capitalize on costly Jets interceptions, and didn’t commit a single turnover despite being pressured for a good portion of the day. We learned Yasir Durant is a turnstile at right tackle while he was filling in for the injured Trent Brown.

As for Wilson? The former BYU star went 19-of-33 for 210 yards and FOUR interceptions — three of which were hurled in the first half. That followed up his Week 1 loss, which featured a 20-of-37 performance for 258 yards, two touchdowns and one interception … but most of those numbers came when the Jets were attempting to stage an unlikely comeback in the 19-14 defeat.

Had Damien Harris not fumbled Week 1 against the Dolphins, the Patriots are 2-0 and Jones’ impressive debut (29-of-39 for 281 yards and a touchdown) is celebrated.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1439667945807007744?s=20

Patriots QB Mac Jones is running away in the rookie race with Zach Wilson.

In addition to not making back-breaking mistakes to cost his team, Jones was seen flying downfield to lay blocks to open up running lanes and he even joined the push to get Harris across the goal line as he was battling three defenders on his Beast Mode-esque 26-yard touchdown run.

Jets fans will point to the fact Jones hasn’t taken many shots down field, but in the first two games of the season, there was no reason for him to be slinging the ball in such a manner. Also … don’t you want to slowly get your rookie quarterback on track by helping ease him into the offense with a competent running game and passing play designs that don’t force him to be a hero?

Can’t say the same about the Jets, who were “letting” Wilson loose, only to watch him make awful decisions, overthrow receivers, or downright miss his targets under pressure, which cost New York the game. The Jets don’t have a good offensive line and there weren’t many plays catered to Wilson getting rid of the ball quickly or designed to get him set out of the pocket.

Haven’t the Jets learned by now? Jones’ first two outings may have not been Patrick Mahomes-like, but we’re slowly watching him come into his own and get comfortable at the next level. Meanwhile, the Jets are seemingly asking Wilson to be a savior on a team that has zero playoff aspirations.

And that, folks, has defined the last two-plus decades of the Patriots’ success and the Jets’ failures.

Patriots: Damien Harris bulldozing and demoralizing Jets defense for TD was unreal

New England Patriots running back Damien Harris destroyed the entire New York Jets defense en route to an epic rushing tochdown.