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Zach Wilson not only outplayed Patrick Mahomes on Sunday Night Football, but he did something that no other quarterback has done before. Wilson didn’t just outplay Mahomes based on the eye test, though, as the hard data backs up that claim, as well.
As pointed out by OptaSTATS, Wilson became the first quarterback that Mahomes has faced throughout his college and professional career to have more completions, more passing yards, more TD passes, and fewer interceptions. It’s the first time that’s happened across Mahomes’ 127 starts at Texas Tech and Kansas City.
Unfortunately for Wilson and the Jets, a career-best performance from the third-year signal-caller wasn’t enough to overcome the Chiefs, as they eventually fell by a score of 23-20. The Chiefs also scored their last 3 points following a fumbled snap by Wilson in the 4th quarter.
In the game, the former BYU Cougar completed 28 of 39 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. As for Mahomes, he completed 18 of 30 passes for one touchdown and two interceptions.
Through a combination of his gritty performance and his classy response to the loss, Wilson has won himself tons of fans in recent days. Now, the young QB needs to take advantage of this moment and use it as a springboard to propel his career forward.
Luckily for Wilson, he’ll have the chance to build on his performance against the Chiefs with a matchup against the Denver Broncos this weekend, who have the worst defense in the NFL. The game is also a must-win for the Jets if they want to have any hope of making the playoffs this season, as falling to 1-4 would surely create too big of a hole for them to climb out of.
As for Mahomes, Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the rest of the traveling circus that’s been following them in recent weeks, they’ll be in Minnesota to take on the Vikings this weekend.