Jets QB Wilson injures knee in preseason game against Eagles

New York Jets' Zach Wilson walks on the sidelines after he is taken off the field following an injury during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, in Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke/AP)

PHILADELPHIA — New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson injured his right knee in the first quarter of Friday night’s 24-21 preseason victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

After going back to pass with 4:29 left in the period, Wilson was flushed out of the pocket and scrambled to his right for 7 yards, but went down after the play. He appeared to injure his knee when planting to cut on Philadelphia’s grass field.

After being checked by trainers, Wilson limped to the sideline on his own power before heading to the locker room.

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 the 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 final five games.

Wilson was shaky in his first series against Philadelphia’s starters, going 1 for 3 for 10 yards with an interception. Eagles linebacker Kyzir White stepped in front of Wilson’s intended pass for wide receiver Corey Davis and returned it 27 yards to the Jets 20 on what appeared to be a poor read by the New York quarterback. Wilson’s first pass of the game was a badly thrown out-route intended for rookie first-round pick Garrett Wilson.

Wilson struggled with accuracy last season, ranking last in the league in completion rate (55.6%) and passer rating (69.7). His decision-making and accuracy had looked better this summer during training camp.

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 play in which he was hurt, a first down from the New York 42-yard line, Wilson faked a handoff to running back Michael Carter on a play-action pass play but was forced to scramble after defensive lineman Tarron Jackson beat right tackle Max Mitchell around the end. With Eagles first-round rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis in hot pursuit, Wilson tried to juke past linebacker Nakobe Dean but went down after being barely touched by Dean.

Coach Robert Saleh stood nearby while trainers attended to Wilson.

It’s the same knee that Wilson suffered a sprained PCL in Week 7 against New England last year. He was sidelined four games before returning and playing the rest of the season.

The Jets also have 37-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco, but he was not in uniform for the game as a handful of veterans did not play in the preseason opener.

Jets fourth-stringer Chris Streveler, a 2019 Grey Cup champion with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, threw two TD passes, including a go-ahead 5-yard toss to Calvin Jackson Jr. with 16 seconds left. Streveler, who previously spent time in the NFL with Arizona, Baltimore and Miami, had not taken a snap in offensive team drills in camp this summer before playing against Philadelphia.

Unlike Wilson, Hurts got out of the game apparently unscathed — though he took a vicious helmet-to-helmet, out-of-bounds hit by linebacker Quincy Williams that left Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni livid.

After making the playoffs in the first season under Sirianni last year, there is great hope in Philadelphia for more progress this season. The hottest topic in town is whether Hurts can elevate his game to a level that would allow the Eagles to make a deep playoff run.

A second-round pick, Hurts is entering his third season and second as a full-time starter. He showed his dual-threat ability last season, passing for 3,144 yards and rushing for team-bests of 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 have been targets for skeptics. An up-and-down training camp only has fuelled the ire of Hurts’ doubters.

But Hurts came out firing on all cylinders in his first opportunity to show his progress in a live games after an offseason full of work, hitting wide receiver Quez Watkins for 28 yards down the right sideline on the game’s first play. He connected with his next four passes before finishing a perfect passing drive with a 22-yard touchdown strike to tight end Dallas Goedert.

Hurts looked impressive without even targeting his new No. 1 receiver, A.J. Brown, whom the Eagles acquired in a draft-day trade with the Tennessee Titans and promptly signed to a four-year deal with $57 million guaranteed.

Hurts’ lone drive wasn’t without concern, though, as he was levelled with a hard hit from Williams despite being clearly out of bounds after scrambling for no gain. Williams was flagged for unnecessary roughness, and Sirianni tore off his headset and screamed toward the Jets bench while standing nearly 20 yards on the field.

Philadelphia’s opening drive wasn’t a good sign for a revamped Jets defence that finished 2021 last in total defence and scoring defence, 30th in pass defence and 29th against the run. New York made several additions to bolster its defence, including selecting cornerback Sauce Gardner No. 4 overall and defensive lineman Jermaine Johnson No. 26 in the first round of this year’s draft. But the Jets defence put up little resistance to Hurts and the Eagles.

SANDERS SOLID

Eagles RB Miles Sanders caught two Hurts passes for 20 total yards during the opening drive. Pass receiving 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 TABBED

Former Eagles defensive linemen 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 85 1/2 sacks in 10 seasons with the Eagles, and Douglas had 54 1/2 in six years.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Jets: OL Conor McDermott (left ankle sprain) is out 1 to 2 weeks. ... RT Mekhi Becton was sidelined after suffering a knee injury in practice that is 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 had elbow surgery earlier this week, and his streak of starting 122 consecutive regular-season games could be in jeopardy when the season opens. Rookie Cam Jurgens took Kelce’s place. ... Starting offensive linemen Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard played the first series after missing practices recently because of concussions. ... Running backs Boston Scott (concussion) and Kenneth Gainwell (hip) didn’t play. … G Landon Dickerson (sore foot) didn’t play and was replaced by Sua Opeta. … WR Greg Ward (toe), DT Javon Hargrave (toe sprain) and S Jaquiski Tartt (personal reasons) were out.

UP NEXT

Jets: Host the Atlanta Falcons in the second of their three preseason games on Aug. 22 in preparation for the season opener on Sept. 11 against Baltimore.

Eagles: At the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 21 in the second of three preseason games to get ready for the season opener on Sept. 11 at Detroit.

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