Zach Wilson throws three interceptions, Jets' defense overmatched in loss to Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas — Zach Wilson wasn’t Aaron Rodgers, but the Jets’ defense wasn’t the ’85 Bears, either.

The Jets may have a problem.

Wilson struggled against the Cowboys’ pass rush, throwing three interceptions, and the Jets’ much-hyped defense bent and broke Sunday in a 30-10 loss to Dallas in front of 93,689 fans at AT&T Stadium.

“Defensively, we couldn’t get off the field,” coach Robert Saleh said. “They had the ball for 42 minutes and we had it for 18. You can’t get anything going if you don’t have the ball that much.”

The Jets were Rodgers’ team, and they believed that with him at quarterback, they could take on any team. But he tore his left Achilles tendon on the Jets’ fourth offensive snap of the season, ending his year.

The four-time MVP hasn’t ruled out returning in the playoffs. Of course, the Jets have to get there first, and Wilson has to get that done. He still has to prove he can lead this team, and he couldn’t on Sunday.

After riding the emotions of opening night to a stirring win over Buffalo, the Jets couldn’t keep that going against Dallas.

The defense didn’t give Wilson and the offense much of a chance, Saleh said. Dallas dominated on both sides of the ball. Micah Parsons had two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. “He’s a hell of a player,” Jets tight end Tyler Conklin said.

The Jets were a top-four defense last season, and their goal is to be No. 1 this season. Cornerback D.J. Reed has said they could be as good as the 1985 Bears, but if so, they have a long way to go.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott connected on his first 13 pass attempts and finished 31-for-38 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. CeeDee Lamb shredded the Jets’ secondary with 11 catches for 143 yards.

The Jets allowed the Cowboys to convert nine of 18 third downs and run 83 plays. “When you can’t get off the field on third down, you’re adding plays on your legs and eventually you’re going to run out of gas,” Saleh said. “I feel that’s what happened to us on defense.”

There were problems all over.

The Jets’ offensive line did not provide protection for Wilson or open holes for the running game. The Jets had minus-2 yards rushing in the second half.

Nearly every time Wilson dropped back, he was under heavy pressure. He completed 12 of 27 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown, but he couldn’t handle Dallas’ pass rush. He threw all three of his interceptions after halftime and on three straight possessions.

“Of course I’d like to have some of those throws back,” Wilson said. “We’re all trying as an offense to go, and I have to be smart with the ball.”

Saleh and many players in the locker room defended Wilson. Some players were encouraging him after the game.

“I feel like we could have helped Zach out some more,” running back Breece Hall said. “I felt like those last two picks weren’t on him. He was just trying to make a play to get us going, get something going.”

Garrett Wilson had two catches for 83 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown in which he turned on the jets after catching a slant.

Zach Wilson was the Jets’ leading rusher with 36 yards. He scrambled for some big gains while running away from the Cowboys’ pass rushers. Hall and Dalvin Cook totaled 16 yards rushing on nine carries, and Cook fumbled once. The Jets went 1-for-10 on third downs.

The Jets trailed only 18-10 at the half, but they could have been ahead.

An important series came after Wilson’s touchdown made it 10-7 Dallas. Sauce Gardner had a pick-6 in his hands and dropped it. That was early in a drive that killed the Jets.

They committed two third-down penalties — one roughing the passer on John Franklin-Myers and an end-zone pass interference on Brandin Echols — to extend the drive. The latter gave Dallas the ball at the 1.

Prescott threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Luke Schoonmaker on first down, and Micheal Clemons was penalized for roughing the passer. That penalty was enforced on the extra-point attempt, Dallas opted to go for two and Tony Pollard ran in the two-point conversion to make it 18-7.

Wilson led the Jets on a field-goal drive just before the half, most of it with his legs, as he scrambled four times for 36 yards. He had a chance to hit Garrett Wilson in the corner of the end zone on third down, but he was under pressure and underthrew his target. DeMarcus Lawrence hit the ball as Wilson released it.

“So frustrated because we called a great play,” the quarterback said. “As I got to the top of my drop, he was open and I was going to rip it to him at the front pylon.”

New kicker Austin Seibert’s 34-yard field goal with four seconds left made it a one-score game, but those were the Jets’ last points.

All of the Cowboys’ second-half points came on field goals by Brandon Aubrey. He had four after halftime — on four straight possessions — and five overall.

“We couldn’t convert. We couldn’t stop them,” Saleh said. “That situational piece of the game where the defense not being able to get off the field, offense can’t extend drives — it is detrimental.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.