East Rutherford, NJ — December 3, 2023 — Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett before the game. The Atlanta Falcons and the NY Jets play at MetLife Stadium on December 3, 2023 in East Rutherford, NJ.
FLORHAM PARK — It’s easy to blame Nathan Hackett for the New York Jets’ run of offensive futility in 2023.
It just may not be entirely accurate.
New York’s offensive coordinator has taken the brunt of the blame with Gang Green dropping their fifth-straight game and going through four different quarterbacks. While his answers and ever-positive attitude may anger fans across the country, there are other reasons for the team’s struggles.
“Injuries never help a team,” recently signed quarterback Brett Rypien said of Hackett. “It’s extremely hard hearing how many different offensive linemen (they’ve gone through) when you have to play different units constantly.”
There have been few teams that have dealt with the rash of injuries the Jets have had in 2023 on offense. New York has played 13 different offensive linemen to this point and has played four different signal-callers. It’s at the quarterback position, though, where the frustration for fans is most prevalent.
Aaron Rodgers was lost for the season after four plays in Week 1. Zach Wilson has done as well as he can to mitigate the loss of the Hall-of-Fame quarterback, but he was benched just two weeks ago. After Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian, both failed to provide a spark on the field, the Jets are prepared to go back to Wilson now for the final five games of the season.
Hardly an easy proposition for any play-caller in the NFL.
“I think that he’s had the two weeks off to re-center himself and learn and continually grow,” Hackett said of Wilson and the reason the team went back to him. “I think that when we look at it, you know, from the very beginning of this season, the whole idea was for him to be able to sit back and learn from Aaron (Rodgers). I think…
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