By Shara Talia Taylor
The New York Jets turned around a rough start in the first half of their preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles to deliver a 24-21 win at Lincoln Financial Field.
The road to victory had some bumps as starting quarterback Zach Wilson injured his knee in the first quarter of Friday night’s game. Despite the obstacles and the lack of touchdowns in the first half New York returned to the game with more confidence and determination.
“One of my favorite things about preseason is the second half, when those young guys who are battling for rosters spots league wide get to come out on the football field and represent the style that they want and they’re fighting,” said Jets second year Head Coach Robert Saleh. “They’re gassed and they’re doing everything.”
Saleh was excited to see the fight in the Jets and said it was part of his message at halftime.
The Jets kicked it off. New York received and was flagged within a few minutes for unnecessary roughness when linebacker Quincy Williams pushed Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to the ground after he ran out of bounds. The Eagles soon scored on their first possession as Hurts passed to tight end Dallas Goedert who ran it in for the touchdown. The Eagles quickly got the ball back when linebacker Kyzir White picked Wilson’s pass and scored within a few plays as back-up Gardner Minshew handed the ball off to running back Jason Huntley who ran it in for the touchdown.
Wilson left the game with about 4:02 remaining in the quarter after he twisted his knee when swiveling to avoid a tackle. Quarterback Mike White replaced him.
New York got on the scoreboard in the second quarter with a 26-yard field goal by kicker Eddy Piñeiro Jr. The Jets scored again in the third quarter when White passed to running Zonovan Knight who ran 2 yds for the touchdown bringing the score to 14-10.
The Jets pushed by the Eagles in fourth quarter with a touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Streveler to rookie tight end Jeremy Ruckert bringing the score to 17-14.
“It was exciting to be out there,” Ruckert said. “I grew up watching this team.“ The Long Island native said the Jets was his favorite team as a child.
The fight came down to the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Philadelphia quarterback Reid Sinnett found running back Kennedy Brooks for a touchdown with about 1:40 on the clock and then gained the extra point bouncing back to 21-17. Jets quickly made their way down the field starting with a 50-yard kick return by Knight. Streveler found wide receiver Calvin Jackson in the end zone for the final touchdown of the game.
Streveler completed six of nine attempted passes for 62 yds for the Jets. White completed 10 of 20 attempted passes for 98 yds. Wilson connected on three of five attempted passes for 23 yards.
Hurts completed six of six passes for 80 yds for the Eagles. Sinnett completed nine of 17 passes for 81 yds. Minshew completed connected on eight of 12 passes for 81 yds.
Saleh said in post-game they’ll know more about Zach Wilson’s injury following his MRI. Saleh tweeted on Monday saying Wilson was on his way to Los Angeles for a procedure that would determine his potential availability for week 1. The Jets start the regular season at home against the Baltimore Ravens on September 11.
Editor’s Note: As of late Tuesday, there were no results on the outcome of Wilson’s surgery or how long he will be out.
Sports Editor Andrew Rosario contributed to this article.
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