The most telling moment of Zach Wilson’s miserable Sunday in Foxborough was not a bad throw or a missed receiver or his petulant press conference. The embattled Jets quarterback was not even on the field when it happened, in fact. Which is the point.
The Patriots had a fourth-and-3 from the Jets’ 36-yard line with a few seconds left in the third quarter, game tied at 3. To be clear, the analytics undoubtedly informed coach Bill Belichick to go for it. There were also more traditional tactical reasons — kicker Nick Folk had already missed two field goal attempts and there was no guarantee a punt would gain much territory.