Jets' Robert Saleh explains staying confident after Aaron Rodgers injury

Head coach Robert Saleh remains confident the New York Jets can compete for a playoff spot even though they lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a torn Achilles early into the regular-season opener last month. 

"I do think we have a great defense," Saleh told NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shortly after New York's 31-21 win at the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon. "I do think we can run the ball. I do think that we can improve and get better. I do think we’re pretty good at the skill positions. And so did it hurt losing Aaron? Of course. I mean, he’s a Hall of Fame player. It’s not often that teams can lose a Hall of Fame player and be confident like we are. It’s just a matter of making the adjustments that we’ve needed to make and there’s still more adjustments that need to be made." 

Zach Wilson produced back-to-back duds serving as Rodgers' replacement but played better over the past two games even though he also committed worrisome fourth-quarter turnovers against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4 and versus Denver on Sunday. Per ESPN stats, Wilson entered Monday afternoon ranked 29th in the NFL among qualified signal-callers with a 37.8 adjusted QBR and 32nd with a 73.4 passer rating on the season. 

Neither Rodgers nor Saleh have slammed the door shut on the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player possibly returning to the playing field in January if the Jets make the playoffs. For a piece published late Sunday night, ESPN's Dan Graziano suggested New York should call the Minnesota Vikings about Kirk Cousins' availability before the Oct. 31 trade deadline. 

Wilson is on track to start when the 2-3 Jets host the 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles this coming Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Eagles as six-and-a-half-point favorites for that contest. 

"There’s still things that we got to get better at," Saleh told Breer. "But, if I could say one thing, it’s that we absolutely love the guys we have in our locker room. They're made of the right stuff. They’ve got the right mindset and we’ve just got to continue to obviously play clean ball and try to, like I said, just stack up great days and hopefully those great days will stack up into great wins." 

The Jets enter their bye after the Philadelphia matchup and presumably could use the break to get a quarterback other than backups Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian ready to play in the Week 8 game against the New York Giants. One wonders if Saleh will ask his front office for an upgrade at the sport's most important position if Wilson looks completely overmatched and overwhelmed versus the Eagles at MetLife Stadium.