Jets OC shares when Zach Wilson turned things around this season

New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett suggested Thursday that quarterback Zach Wilson turned a corner during the Week 4 23-20 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 1. 

"...Once we got to the Chiefs game, we zeroed in on how we wanted to attack and go to work, and I think Zach started relaxing and having fun and playing football instead of thinking football, and I think that’s what we’ve seen as everything’s gone on," Hackett explained during a news conference, per the Jets' website. "Even today in the walkthrough and practice yesterday, he’s not going out there just, 'What should I do?' and thinking. He’s just going out there and living within the system and understanding the different tools he has to be able to help himself out and understanding his issues that he can make a good decision, and I think that’s what we’ve seen." 

Wilson produced two consecutive duds after starter Aaron Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles in Week 1, and the 24-year-old may have been in danger of losing the locker room and his spot atop the depth chart until he completed 28-of-39 pass attempts for 245 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Chiefs. While Wilson also committed a costly fumble in the game's fourth quarter, he ultimately bounced back and helped the Jets earn back-to-back wins ahead of their Week 7 bye. 

Jets veteran linebacker and team captain C.J. Mosley noted earlier this week how Wilson has impressed teammates with his confidence and ability to learn from mistakes. 

"As he gains more confidence, it just makes everybody have more fun," Hackett said about Wilson. "The more that a quarterback knows what he’s doing, where he’s going, and he doesn’t hesitate, and he believes in his decisions because that’s the key in this game, is to make a call, make an adjustment, and whether it’s right or wrong, believe in it and understand your issues, and I think that’s what he’s getting at." 

Wilson hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since the Chiefs game and, per ESPN stats, began Thursday ranked 29th out of 32 qualified players with a 36.9 adjusted QBR on the season. Nevertheless, Hackett insisted that Wilson is "close" to consistently guiding the 3-3 Jets on touchdown drives beginning with this Sunday's game versus the 2-5 New York Giants. 

"...Just watching him go out there and play, I think everyone starts trusting him and watching him play, which again, I say trust, but it’s not really a trust," Hackett added about Wilson. "It’s fun to watch him play out there, and I think the more that we see that...it’s going to continually grow."

As of Thursday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Jets as three-point favorites against the Giants.