Jets Banking on Garrett Wilson to Reignite Offense Against Patriots

The New York Jets are approaching a critical divisional matchup against the New England Patriots, and wide receiver Garrett Wilson has underscored the significance of the game. "There’s a premium on this one. I don’t know how to exactly put it but it’s a big-ass game," Wilson stated Wednesday. "We’re going to be ready to play. I’m excited for it."

The 2-3 Jets will travel to Gillette Stadium to face the 3-2 Patriots in their first division game of the season. Historically, the Jets have struggled at this venue, winning only once in Foxborough over the last 15 years.

This game presents a substantial opportunity for the Jets, who are coming off a victory over the Cleveland Browns. To capitalize, the team needs to ensure consistent involvement for Wilson, their top receiver and most impactful offensive player. This strategy is recognized by head coach Aaron Glenn, offensive coordinator Frank Reich, and quarterback Geno Smith.

Wilson's target share has been a topic of discussion among Jets fans. After a low of four targets in a low-play-volume game against the Bears two weeks prior, the Jets increased his involvement to 11 targets in their win against the Browns, including a touchdown on the opening drive. Wilson currently leads the NFL in ESPN's open score metric, an analytic measure of a receiver's ability to create separation, and ranks second overall in ESPN's receiver rankings.

While the objective may seem straightforward – targeting Wilson around 10 times per game – the coaching staff acknowledges the complexities. "When you’ve got players like Garrett, you try to do everything you can to try to make sure you feed him the ball," Glenn commented. "But you have to make sure you don’t jeopardize your team also. Sometimes you can put your quarterback in position to where all he’s doing is eyeing that guy and you have other guys that are open."

Wilson's statistics have remained remarkably consistent over his five seasons. This year, he has accumulated 31 catches on 42 targets for 374 yards and three touchdowns, numbers slightly below his previous season's pace. His target distribution has varied, with weekly counts of seven, seven, 13, four, and 11. Despite this variation, Wilson expressed that he often has an indication of his offensive role based on the week's practice performance.

"As someone who has been doing it for a while now, you kind of know which weeks," Wilson said. "There’s always some ones that keep you on your toes. That’s the beauty of this industry and this game. Just making sure you’re always ready for that game when you get the 10, 15, whatever y’all consider a high-target game. You definitely have an idea after the practice week. If the looks look how they did during the week, all of a sudden you have an idea. They can always do unscouted looks, throw wrenches at you, things like that. You’ve got to be ready for it all as a player."

Quarterback Geno Smith emphasized the importance of reading the defense and making the right decisions rather than solely focusing on Wilson. "I trust all of the guys that are out there," Smith said. "I know they all can make plays, and when their number is called, and of course Garrett, he’s a guy, he’s going to get open, and as many times as we can get him the ball, we want to, but there are other guys as well who can make plays. I just read the defense and try and make the right decisions."