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Garrett Wilson didn't hold back with his miserable performance for the Jets

Garrett Wilson didn't hold back with his miserable performance for the Jets

PITTSBURGH — On a night where Davante Adams, the Jets' newest toy, took center stage in his team debut as an All-Pro receiver, it was Garrett Wilson who stole the show.

For the wrong reasons.

Wilson had the worst game of his NFL career in the Jets' 37-15 loss to the Steelers on Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium, where a pass from Aaron Rodgers bounced devastatingly off his chest and into the arms of Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr Interception.


USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Afterwards, Wilson left little doubt about how sick he was.

“That was the reason we lost the game at the end of the day,” Wilson said. “This can't happen. Can't happen. Terrible plays. I have to catch a damn ball. I’m playing like crap right now and I need to fix it.”

With the Jets trailing 16-15 in the third quarter, Wilson had free reign down the left sideline and the Rodgers pass hit him right on the No. 5 on his jersey and the ball bounced right into the arms of Bishop, who returned it 41 yards to the Jets 1-yard line.

To make matters worse, Jets right guard Xavier Newman suffered a horrific neck injury on his return after being blocked on the ground and was carried off the field strapped to a stretcher.

Fortunately, doctors later cleared him to return to New Jersey with the team.

But Wilson was annoyed with himself for the game-winning play that led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Russell Wilson and a 23-15 Steelers lead.

“It's like the culmination of my bad habits of not attacking the ball in play,” Wilson said. “I have to fix it, use my hands and catch the ball. I have to do what I do, what I can do, what I know I can do. I don't push. It's just a distrust of what the hell I've done since I was a kid.

“The way I see it, if I didn’t drop the ball we would win the game. If I can do what I was put here to do, do what people expect of me, do what I expect of myself, then I feel like we'll win this game. I let the boys down today. I let the team down.”

Wilson finished the game with five catches for 61 yards on nine targets.


Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) tries to tackle Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium.
Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) tries to tackle Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Adams, signed on Tuesday, caught three passes for 30 yards on nine targets and didn't appear to be on the same page as Rodgers on a few occasions.

Rodgers threw him an outside pass on the first offensive play of the game and the result was unpleasant, either the pass went too far past him or it wasn't in the right spot.

“I wouldn’t say rust,” Adams said. “Of course we can continue to improve. The first game was just football. It doesn't always work. We had a really good week of training and will have a good week of training next week and see what we can do to solve the problem.”

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