Bills’ Josh Allen urges caution for Zach Wilson critics: ‘Sometimes it takes a little longer’

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is coming off a loss to the New England Patriots where he threw three interceptions.

Since the Jets selected Wilson with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft last year, he has struggled to consistently play at a high level. 

The former BYU standout has also been prone to making mental errors during games, which have often led to costly turnovers. But Wilson said he doesn’t pay the critics much attention. “I don’t look at any of that stuff,” he said Thursday.

“I focus on what’s going on in this building with me and the guys, what my coaches are seeing, things that go on in the game and then we just try to learn from those and move on,” Wilson went on to say.

The Bullfao Bills travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, this Sunday to play the Jets, and Wilson has often been compared to Buffalo’s young quarterback, Josh Allen.

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During a recent episode of the “Kyle Brandt’s Basement” podcast, Allen defended Wilson’s recent outing against New England.

“I think it’s a guy trying to make a play, and I was at that same position,” Allen said. “I threw three picks against the Patriots my second year, and that’s kind of the game where it all clicked for me, after that game. So you can take that for what it is.”

New York Jets defenders push Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen out of bounds during the second half of their game in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Jan. 9, 2022.
(AP Photo/Joshua Bessex)

Allen is in the midst of a great season and the Bills (6-1) are widely viewed as Super Bowl contenders. But he did, in fact, struggle during his rookie year and early on in his sophomore campaign.

Allen made strides in 2019 down the stretch of his second year and helped push the Bills into the playoffs. The former Wyoming standout is now widely viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

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Allen said being patience allowed him to develop his game.

“Sometimes it takes a little longer,” he said. “It took me a while to kind of understand the nuances of this game and trying not to do too much. I think that’s what it comes down to, not trying to do too much and allowing you to trust your guys on the field with you.”

Zach Wilson of the New York Jets throws a pass in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 2, 2022.
(Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Allen also added that sometimes not overthinking can help.

“I don’t want to give him too much advice before we play him. Maybe next week we can have a longer talk,” he said. “But guys got to go out there and play football, man. We can’t think about making mistakes because that’s ultimately when you do make mistakes. You just got to go out there and ball.”

Allen’s development is the exception, not the rule, but it may be one that Wilson will try to replicate.

It’s unclear if the Jets’ organization plans to move on from Wilson at the end of this season. But the quarterback will certainly have the remaining games of this season to prove himself.