Some Jets and Giants fans, surely, are tribal even in their New York football viewing habits. They watched the green team lose (pathetically) on Thursday or the blue team lose (tragically) on Saturday, but not both, no way.
But if you watched both — you’re a pan-New York rooter, you’re unaffiliated, you’re curious, you’re the kind of omnivorous sports consumer or NFL junkie who will watch, for instance, a meaningless Rams-Broncos game booked smack-dab in the middle of a holiday (hey, no judgment) — the double feature left a distinct impression: Zach Wilson made Daniel Jones look good.
Wilson stumbled, sputtered and missed cues like the overwhelmed performer at open-mic night who gets cat-called off the stage — except there were thousands of people booing, millions more watching via their paper-towel delivery service and he got paid a six-figure game check for his trouble. With the Jets’ season on the line in an eventual 19-3 loss to the Jaguars, Wilson was replaced by the fourth-string practice-squad guy after two and a half quarters … and it took too long. It was cringe-worthy.
Jones’ showing two days later in a 27-24 loss to the Vikings, in a vacuum, was admirable (30-for-42 for 334 yards, a third-down pressure throw that Richie James dropped to force a fourth-quarter field goal, an assured final-minutes touchdown drive, an inch-perfect touch pass for the game-tying 2-point conversion) if not elite (an interception and a brutal three-and-out on two other chances to retake a fourth-quarter lead). The Giants offense rarely has looked better. But when you compare the young quarterbacks in town? There was no comparison. When you grade Jones on the Zach Wilson curve? This was All-Pro material.



