Willie Gay Jr. Shared an Uncomfortable Truth About the Jets’ Offense

"Damn, that was a hard question, I can't lie. A team that wants to run the ball. That wasn't [meant] to be funny or anything, but A-Rod got hurt and it turned into a team where [it's] like panic most, almost. That's what I see, at least. They've got great running backs, so now they're just trying to pound it. Pound and ground ... I feel like the running backs have been rolling. Like I said, three great ones, so I feel like that's their game plan."

While Gay's assessment that New York leans heavily on the run game may not be the most accurate — the Jets' 41.25 rushing play percentage ranks 17th in the NFL — his general premise is. Among all 35 quarterbacks who have thrown double-digit passes this season, Wilson's 84 attempts see him rank 28th in the league. The duo of Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook has experienced a near-even split in workload (26 and 25 carries, respectively) this season, and third-year man Michael Carter also factors into the backfield picture. Gay made it a point to compliment the Jets' assortment of halfbacks, yet he didn't acknowledge anything good about Wilson's play.

With New York's locker room reportedly "ready to implode" if the quarterback situation doesn't improve soon, it's becoming more and more apparent that Wilson is operating on borrowed time. The Jets entered the 2023 campaign with Super Bowl aspirations after landing Rodgers, a four-time MVP, but an Achilles injury forced the former No. 2 overall pick into action. It's been the same old story of struggles and growing pains ever since, with the first three weeks of the season seeing little to no signs of hope.

Gay made an active choice when he shifted the discussion away from Wilson, which was a fitting way to describe the state of New York's offense. With a 1-3 record staring the Jets in the face if they can't pull off the upset on Sunday night, panic mode is knocking on the door if it hasn't already been invited inside.