The New York Jets lost Aaron Rodgers for the season in Week 1.
They lost in blowout fashion to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
In Week 3, they’re facing a rival that’s dominated them for more than a decade.
In the eyes of second-year standout Garrett Wilson, another Jets loss to the New England Patriots would be intolerable.
"It's time that things change around here,” Wilson told the Bart & Hahn podcast, via ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I don't like talking about it too much, but this is one of the first steps. Fourteen straight is unacceptable. That's unacceptable. I'm 0-2 against them. That's unacceptable.”
New England has won 14 straight games against New York.
The Jets’ last win in the lopsided rivalry came on Dec. 27, 2015. Eric Decker caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick in overtime to propel head coach Todd Bowles’ Jets to victory.
Decker hasn’t played since 2017.
Fitzpatrick is now an analyst for Prime Video.
And Bowles is off to a 2-0 start in Tampa.
The 23-year-old Wilson was a 15-year-old freshman just starting out at Lake Travis (Texas) High. It’s been a while.
Though each season is its own and the 2023 Jets are in need of a bounce-back game in the aftermath of Rodgers’ injury and their dispiriting loss to the Cowboys, New York’s tribulations versus Bill Belichick’s Patriots extend back more than seven years.
No matter what the issue in any particular week or season, the Jets have been unable to best Bill’s bunch.
In his 2022 Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, Wilson’s first time playing the Patriots was an individual success. He posted six receptions for 115 yards in a Week 8 loss.
However, by the time Week 11 rolled around, Wilson was a non-factor, as he was held to two catches on three targets for just 12 yards. That 10-3 loss to the Pats loomed largest for another Wilson, though, as quarterback Zach Wilson was benched following a miserable showing.
Zach Wilson returned to the starting lineup later in 2022 when Mike White was injured and he’s once again back as QB1 in 2023 following Rodgers’ Achilles tear.
The Week 3 storylines are prevalent as they’ve seemingly been for the Jets on a weekly basis dating back to the offseason. However, the losing streak to the Patriots is a narrative that’s remained autumn after autumn.
Gang Green’s talented second-year wideout is more than ready to change all that.
"I inherited -- I walked into a team that, we haven't beaten the Patriots,” Wilson said. “I feel like that's why they brought me here, brought me and Sauce \[Gardner\] here and the guys here -- to make things like that change. It's time we do what we get paid for."