PHILADELPHIA — New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson injured his right knee in the first quarter of Friday night’s 24-21 preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
After going back at 4:29 on the period to pass, Wilson was flushed out of the pocket and scrambled 7 yards to the right but went down after the play. He appeared to injure his knee planting to cut Philadelphia’s grass field.
After being checked by the coaches, Wilson hobbled to the touchline under his own power before heading to the dressing room.
After the game, Jets coach Robert Saleh said initial testing on Wilson showed the ACL was “intended to be intact,” but the team is awaiting the MRI on Saturday.
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts looked sharp, completing all six of his pass attempts for 80 yards and a touchdown while playing just one series.
There are high hopes this year for 23-year-old Wilson, who was drafted No. 2 overall last year. He had an up-and-down rookie season, throwing nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 games, but went without an interception in his last five games.
Wilson was shaky in his first series against Philadelphia’s starter, going 1 for 3 for 10 yards with an interception. Eagles linebacker Kyzir White stepped in front of Wilson’s intended pass to wide receiver Corey Davis and returned it 27 yards to the Jets 20 in what appeared to be a poor read by the New York quarterback. Wilson’s first pass of the game was a poorly thrown out route destined for rookie first-round pick Garrett Wilson.
Wilson struggled with accuracy last season, finishing bottom in the league in completion rate (55.6%) and passer rating (69.7). His decision making and accuracy had looked better at training camp this summer.
Before his injury, Wilson was sharper in his second series, albeit against Philadelphia backups. He connected with tight end Tyler Conklin for 4 yards and then hit wide receiver Elijah Moore for 9 yards, finishing 3 for 5 for 23 yards and an interception.
On the game he was injured, a first down from the New York 42-yard line, Wilson faked a handoff to running back Michael Carter on a play-action pass game but was forced to crawl his way , after defender Tarron Jackson hit the right tackle Max Mitchell in the end. With Eagles first-round rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis in hot pursuit, Wilson tried to get past linebacker Nakobe Dean but went down after being barely touched by Dean.
Saleh stood by while trainers tended to Wilson.
It’s the same knee that Wilson suffered a PCL sprain in Week 7 against New England last year. He was sidelined four games before returning and playing the remainder of the season.
The Jets also have 37-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco, but he was out of uniform for the game as a handful of veterans didn’t play in the preseason opener.
Fourth-placed Jets Chris Streveler, a 2019 Gray Cup champion with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, threw two TD passes, including a 5-yard toss to Calvin Jackson Jr. with 16 seconds left. Streveler, who previously spent time in the NFL with Arizona, Baltimore and Miami, did not do offensive team practice at camp this summer before the game against Philadelphia.
Unlike Wilson, Hurts appeared to emerge from the game unscathed — though he suffered a vicious helmet-to-helmet off-field punch from linebacker Quincy Williams that enraged Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni.
After making the playoffs in their first season under Sirianni last year, Philadelphia have high hopes for further progress this season. The hottest topic in town is whether Hurts can take their game to a level that would give the Eagles a deep playoff run.
As a second-round pick, Hurts is entering his third and second seasons as a full-time starter. He showed his double threat ability last season when he passed for 3,144 yards and had team-best 784 yards and 10 touchdowns. But he was 26th in completion rate (61.3 percent) and 22nd in passer rating (87.2), and his accuracy and arm strength were targets for skeptics. An up and down training camp has only fueled the ire of Hurts doubters.
But Hurts came out on his first opportunity to show his progress in a live game after a busy offseason, hitting wide receiver Quez Watkins for 28 yards on the right touchline in the first game of the game. He connected on his next four passes before ending a perfect pass with a 22-yard touchdown shot against Dallas Goedert.
Hurts looked impressive without even targeting his new No. 1 wide receiver, AJ Brown, whom the Eagles acquired in a draft-day trade with the Tennessee Titans and promptly signed a four-year, $57 million guaranteed contract signed.
Hurts’ lone drive wasn’t without concern, however, as he was leveled with a hard smack from Williams despite clearly being out after a futile scramble. Williams was flagged for unnecessary rudeness, and Sirianni ripped off his headset and yelled at the Jets bench while standing nearly 20 yards down the field.
Philadelphia’s opening drive did not bode well for a revised Jets defense, which ended 2021 last in total defense and goal defense, 30th in pass defense, and 29th against run. New York made several additions to bolster its defense, including picking No. 4 overall cornerback Sauce Gardner and No. 26 defenseman Jermaine Johnson in the first round of that year’s draft. But the Jets defense offered little resistance to Hurts and the Eagles.
GRINDER FIXED
Eagles RB Miles Sanders caught two Hurts passes for a total of 20 yards during the opening drive. Pass reception is an area of improvement for Sanders, who is in the final season of a four-year deal. He has rushed for 2,439 yards and nine touchdowns in 40 games.
COLE, DOUGLAS WITH REGISTER
Former Eagles defensemen Trent Cole and Hugh Douglas will be inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame on Nov. 27 when they host the Green Bay Packers, the team announced. Cole had 85½ sacks in 10 seasons with the Eagles and Douglas had 54½ in six years.
TRAINING ROOM
Jets: OL Conor McDermott (left ankle sprain) out 1-2 weeks. … RT Mekhi Becton was sidelined after picking up a knee injury in training that was expected to cost him the season. Becton, a 2020 first-round pick, missed all but the first game last season after dislocating his right kneecap and suffering cartilage damage in the opener.
Eagles: C Jason Kelce underwent elbow surgery earlier this week and his streak of 122 straight regular-season games could be in jeopardy early in the season. Rookie Cam Jurgens took Kelce’s place. … Beginning offensive linemen Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard played the first series after recently missing practice with concussions. … Running backs Boston Scott (concussion) and Kenneth Gainwell (hip) didn’t play. …G Landon Dickerson (footache) did not play and was replaced by Sua Opeta. … WR Greg Ward (toe), DT Javon Hargrave (sprained toe) and S Jaquiski Tartt (personal reasons) were all out.
NEXT
Jets: Hosted the Atlanta Falcons in the second of their three preseason games on Aug. 22 in preparation for the Sept. 11 season opener against Baltimore.
Eagles: At the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 21 in the second of three preseason games in preparation for the Sept. 11 season opener in Detroit.
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