Instant analysis: NY Jets fall to Panthers in Zach Wilson's debut. Here's what we learned

CHARLOTTE — New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson dropped back, set his feet and began to scan the field early in the first drive of his NFL career. But before he could take anything in, Panthers defensive end Brian Burns was on top of him and ready to deliver a crushing blow for the first sack of Wilson's career.

That's one thing we learned in Wilson's debut. The kid can take a hit. And he didn't let first-half adversity define his game: he led the Jets second-half comeback that just wasn't enough as the Jets fell 19-14 to Carolina.

After the game, Wilson's teammates praised him for his toughness and persistence. But they also revealed the truth.

"That's our guy, that's our quarterback, we've got to protect him," Davis said. "And today just wasn't good enough."

Wilson was sacked six times in NFL debut. He was under pressure nearly every time he dropped back, and while he was elusive enough to avoid some big hits, he also took some major shots. Burns got him early in the game and in the fourth quarter, after he was sacked deep in Carolina territory, Wilson got up slowly and appeared to be in pain.

But two plays later he stood in the pocket and delivered a touchdown pass to Davis that kept the Jets' comeback hopes alive a little while longer.

"I felt like I got hit by a truck for a second," Wilson said. "Just sometimes you've got to catch your breath, take a deep breath and understand we're still in it. You've just got to stand up and keep going. So I was fine, just got the wind knocked out of me a little bit and then we were able to go down and execute."

Wilson overcame the big hits and a slow start to ultimately put together a decent debut: He finished 20-of-37 for 258 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He led two late touchdown drives that gave the Jets a chance to win a game they had no business being in.

He walked out of the building in relatively good shape considering all the punishment he took. And he downplayed the constant pressure that he faced.

"Yeah, neck's a little sore," Wilson said. "A little whiplash. But I'll be alright. ... It's tough but it's part of the job, right? It's why we sign up to play quarterback. I feel like I'm getting better, experiencing having stuff in your face, you've got to be able to play. IYou can't just say, 'Uhhh, there's pressure, I can't do my job.' That's why quarterback is a tough position to come by. So it's good for me and I'm going to continue to get better at that."

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Wilson will be able to learn and grow from this game. But this is not sustainable. If the Jets want him to develop the right way, or even make it to the end of the month without suffering a serious injury, they're going to have to do a much better job of protecting him.

The Jets have already seen that developing a quarterback this way is not a good idea. And there was proof on the opposite sideline Sunday afternoon.

Sam Darnold seemed to lose confidence as he dealt with big hits, injuries and constant pressure behind a shoddy offensive line during his three seasons with the Jets. By the end of last year, the Jets had done such a bad job of providing Darnold support that it was impossible to know for sure what he was capable of.

We didn't get a clear answer Sunday in his Panthers debut. Darnold didn't do anything spectacular -- the highlight was a 57-yard touchdown pass to former Jet Robby Anderson, but that was as simple deep ball. Overall, Darnold had a fine day with better protection and more weapons around him, completing 24-of-35 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown against his former team. He was sacked just once.

And as the Jets move forward, they need act now to make sure whatever they do they don't put Wilson in the same position they put Darnold in.

More than two years ago, when general manager Joe Douglas was introduced, he said that his priority was to build in the trenches. He's done a good job of it the other side of the ball, where the defensive line is the strength of the team and played a huge role in keeping this game close.

But what we saw on the field at Bank of America Stadium from the offensive line, which has been a priority for Douglas, was hard to watch or excuse.

Sure the Jets have had some tough injury luck: rookie Alijah Vera-Tucker missed the preseason with an injury and Mekhi Becton, last year's first-round pick, suffered a potentially serious knee injury in the third quarter Sunday after missing time late in training camp.

"It's early in the season and especially with a young quarterback, they're going to heat you up," Jets center Connor McGovern said. "First game of the season, picking up blitzes like that is a little different in the game than in practice and we've just got to execute better."

Perhaps some time to gel together and get back to game speed will make it better for the offensive line. But they need to figure it out fast. Wilson was under pressure 14 times Sunday, per Next Gen Stats.

When the pieces on the offensive line gel together, there is potential for them to improve. And they need to do it fast. Wilson was under pressure 14 times Sunday, per Next Gen Stats. The Panthers had 10 quarterback hits, in addition to their six sacks.

And it's not about to get easier. The Jets face the Patriots in Week 2 and Bill Belichick always throws some wrinkles into his defensive game plan against a rookie quarterback. Wilson didn't have a great game on Sunday. But he didn't have a horrible one. His strong second half is a reason to believe that he has a bright future.

"I'll tell you what, No. 2 is going to win a lot of games for us," linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "It takes a lot to sit in the pocket and have all the pressure and all the looks that he was getting from what I saw. ... For him to stick in the pocket, make those plays, take those licks that he did in that first big game, a lot of respect for him."

But if the Jets want Wilson to reach his potential, they must find a way to make sure he's lying on the field feeling like he got hit by a truck and leaving the stadium with a mild case of whiplash. And they need to figure it out quickly.

Wilson's first mistake of the game was a costly one.

In the second quarter, with the Jets driving on the Panthers near midfield and the score tied at 0, Wilson dropped back looked to his right and threw the ball toward tight end Ryan Griffin. But linebacker Shaq Thompson was there and Wilson's throw ended up going right at him.

Thompson jumped, tipped the ball into the air, intercepted it returned it 29 yards all the way down to the Jets 32.

"I wasn't mad about the read, it just was not a great throw," Wilson said. "I see the dude right there, right? I've got to put the ball over the top of him. ... I've just got to make a better throw right there, can't let him get a hand on it, or get to my check down there."

The interception launched a sequence that saw the Panthers take complete control of the game, which they never relinquished. Carolina converted the turnover into a field goal for their first points of the game and scored on their final three possesions of the first half to take a 16-0 lead.

Andy Vasquez is the Jets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Jets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.