Wilson: Jets' offense has to try to prove Namath wrong

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson wasn't hurt by harsh criticism from team legend Joe Namath. Instead, he's taking it as a challenge.

"I mean, he's passionate," Wilson said Thursday, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. "He's obviously one of the greats, so as an offense, we've got to do everything we can to try to prove him wrong."

Namath described Wilson's play in the Jets' 15-10 home loss to the New England Patriots as "awful" and added that he "wouldn't keep" the signal-caller.

Wilson completed just 18 of 36 pass attempts for 157 yards and took three sacks in the loss to New England. The former No. 2 pick appeared to give himself up on one of the sacks, which Namath described as "disgusting."

Head coach Robert Saleh, who's frequently come to the passer's defense, said Wednesday that Namath was entitled to his opinion, but they would have to "agree to disagree" on his assessment of Wilson, according to NJ.com's Andy Vasquez.

Tight end Tyler Conklin took it a step further, calling the 80-year-old's comments "harsh."

The Jets' offense has struggled to get any momentum going since Wilson stepped in for Aaron Rodgers following the veteran's season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1. Wilson's 52.4% completion percentage and 57.0 passer rating rank last among all qualified quarterbacks.

New York (1-2) is set to welcome the Kansas City Chiefs (2-1) to MetLife Stadium on Sunday night.

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