The Zach Wilson led New York Jets host the Taysom Hill led New Orleans Saints on Sunday in New York. It will be the first meeting of two former BYU quarterbacks since 1997.
This Sunday will mark the meeting of two BYU quarterback legends as the Saints go to New Jersey to take on the Jets. Starting quarterbacks Zach Wilson and Taysom Hill are both coming off injuries in what has been a roller coaster season for both QBs.
Zach Wilson, QB, New York Jets
Zach Wilson played admirably last week in his first game back since suffering a week 7 PCL injury. He had his best first half of the season completing 12-of-14 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns while adding another touchdown on the ground.
His second half wasn’t quite as strong, but he still put up a Rookie of the Week performance ending the game at 23-for-38 passing for 227 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in defeat.
Wilson has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his first season in the NFL. The no. 2 draft pick is the only rookie quarterback to win Rookie of the Week honors, and he’s done so twice. Wilson’s confidence and accuracy seems to improve game-over-game and he is proving to be a valuable member of the team.
Tayson Hill, QB, New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill got his first quarterback start of the season last week in the Saint’s 27-17 loss to Dallas. He looked sharp early on, completing 6-of-7 passes to start the game. Hill then suffered a mallet finger injury as his middle finger was jammed by an opposing defender giving him pressure.
The Saints opted to keep Hill in to finish out the game and splinted his finger so he could continue. But the injury clearly affected his throwing accuracy and Hill threw four picks (including a pick six) to end the game at 19-of-41 passing for 264 yards with two touchdowns.
The difficult throwing situation inspired more running and we saw the Hill of old scrambling around the field. He finished with a season high 11 carries for 101 yards (9.2 avg). Despite the loss, Hill led the Saints to their highest offensive output of the season (405 total yards).
This is Hill’s third injury of the season—having already missed games for a concussion and a partially torn plantar fascia. But he says his foot feels good, and he plans on playing through his current injury with the understanding that he will likely have to keep his finger in a splint for the remaining eight weeks to avoid surgery. His finger was splinted and taped as he practiced this week, but he was cleared to play Sunday.
The Matchup
Sunday will mark the first time since 1997 that two BYU quarterbacks start in the same NFL game. The 1997 game featured Steve Young with the 49ers and Ty Detmer with the Eagles.
The New Orleans Saints are currently on a 5-game losing streak, their longest losing streak in 16 years. The Saints defense ranks fifth against the run, but is in the bottom third in the NFL against the pass (giving up 250.1 yards per game). They will be without their top returner and leading receiver Deonte Harris (serving first of a three game suspension).
The New York Jets have lost four of last five, and haven’t been in the playoffs for ten years (going on 11)—the longest playoff absence of any team in the NFL. They have the worst defense in the NFL, allowing 396.9 yards per game (133.4 on the ground and 263.4 through the air).
With both teams struggling defensively, Sunday’s matchup is a great time for both Wilson and Hill to showcase what they can do and put up big numbers. Look for Wilson to have a great day passing while Hill and the Saints will do a lot of their damage on the ground.
BYU Insider prediction: Saints 31, Jets 27
New Orleans (5-7, 3-3) at New York (3-9, 2-4)
- Kickoff: Sunday, 11:00 a.m. MST
- Venue: MetLife Stadium, N.J.
- TV: Regionally televised on CBS
- Broadcasters: Andrew Catalon (Play-by-Play), James Lofton (Analyst) and Sherree Burgess (Sideline)
- Livestream: Ways to watch Saints, NFL Game Pass (replay)
- Radio: Online
