Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson will be forever linked after being drafted No. 1 and 2 overall in the 2021 draft. 

This week, they get to face off. 

Jets versus Jaguars the day after Christmas has about as much appeal as getting socks under the Christmas tree, but the game does have the interesting storyline of Lawrence versus Wilson for the first time. 

Neither quarterback has had a strong rookie campaign and both of their teams are going nowhere. The Jaguars are 2-12 and just fired coach Urban Meyer. The Jets are 3-11 and coach Robert Saleh is not going anywhere. 

Saleh said Lawrence’s struggles are a reminder for people that rookie quarterbacks usually need time to adjust. 

“I think it helps the fan base and you guys as you guys write your stuff that it’s a good reminder for y’all because we do tend to celebrate the anomalies like the [Justin] Herberts of the world,” Saleh said. “But as far as rookie quarterbacks, this is usually what happens, they struggle. If you look at rookie quarterbacks in the history of time, it is not easy to come to this league and play quarterback at a high level, especially when you’re coming to a team that’s kind of building. It’s one thing if you got an established roster with an established coaching staff that’s been around for, in [Patriots quarterback] Mac Jones’ situation, 20 years. There is such a big difference in terms of all of it coming together for a young man.” 

For Wilson, it has not come together yet. On Sunday in Miami, he had a strong start to the game, completing his first six passes and getting the Jets out to a 17-7 lead in the first half. Then, Wilson began to struggle. He was sacked five times in the second half and only completed four passes in the final two quarters. Wilson has gone 2-8 as the Jets’ starter this year, completing 56.2 percent of his passes for 1,911 yards, six touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His 66.4 QB rating is the worst among qualified passers in the NFL. Lawrence and Bears rookie Justin Fields [entering Monday’s game] are just ahead of Wilson at 69.3. 

As Jets fans search for signs that Wilson can be the franchise quarterback they have been waiting for, Saleh said he sees growth in the 22-year-old. 

“What’s encouraging about [Wilson] is he is learning so many different things and he is getting better at a lot of different things,” Saleh said. “But it’s like I said, he’s got to go through these tough moments like this is different. I know he took six sacks [Sunday], but I promise you, what he’s going through is different than somebody who is just getting his butt kicked because he just has no chance because his O-line is just not [good], this is just so different. I think he’s going through a tremendous learning curve and it’s one that he’s going to be able to capture and run off of it and take with him to the offseason and grow off of. We’re really excited about where Zach is and we’re really, really confident that his arrow is definitely pointing up and it’s only going to get better.” 

Lawrence is 2-12 as a starter this season, completing 58.1 percent of his passes for 2,945 yards, nine touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The former Clemson star appeared destined to land with the Jets last season before the team pulled off two stunning December wins and handed the No. 1 pick to Jacksonville. 

Both Wilson and Lawrence have paled in comparison to Jones, who has thrived in New England, as rookies. They also have to deal with comparisons to the Chargers’ Herbert and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, who both look like stars early in their careers. 

There are still many chapters to be written in the stories of Lawrence and Wilson, but Sunday will be an interesting first meeting between the two quarterbacks tied together by their draft status.