EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Garrett Wilson's greatest accomplishment Sunday was holding his tongue.The New York Jets' star wide receiver could've complained about his lack of involvement in the offense (six targets). Or he could've vented about the Jets' penchant for losing to the New England Patriots -- virtually a twice-a-year habit that stretches back, oh, about two-plus decades.But, no, Wilson stuck to the company line after the Jets' 26-19 loss at Gillette Stadium. He didn't throw anyone under the bus, but don't believe for a second that he's OK with how it went down. He was absolutely frustrated by his four-catch, 44-yard performance; he was grumbling aloud as he walked through the tunnel and to the locker room."It's just frustrating because we lost, and I want to help the team," he told reporters after a lengthy cooling-off period.A few days ago, Wilson billed Sunday's matchup as "a big-ass game," a chance for the Jets to rise up and make a loud statement against their longtime nemesis. How did the Jets respond under such important circumstances?Of the 31 plays they ran in New England's territory, the ball ended up in Wilson's hands once -- a 12-yard reception in the fourth quarter. In fact, he was targeted only three times in plus-territory, and only twice overall through the first three quarters."Not every game [is] going to go your way," Wilson said. "I try to reason it in my head because we had [the] fourth quarter, and I know that the game can change at any moment. So just try to keep playing my role, waiting for that moment that they want to call on me."If the Jets (2-4) want to make something of this season, if they want to fulfill their potential as an offense, they certainly have to find ways to get Wilson the ball.The Frank Reich-led offense is in the bottom 10 after averaging 18.7 points, having scored only four touchdowns in the past three games. Their only score Sunday was Geno Smith's 48-yard strike to rookie Omar Cooper Jr., which cut the Patriots' lead to 17-10 in the third quarter.The Jets spent half the game in New England territory, but they were undermined by efficiency on third down (3-for-10) and in the red zone (0-for-3) and fourth-down failures (0-for-2). The defense handed Smith & Co. two short fields because of takeaways, but the Jets generated only six points.It was a game of blown opportunities. Wide receiver Tim Patrick called it "a completely frustrating day," adding, "We have to learn to finish.""We can't just get in a fight sometimes," Patrick said. "We have to knock somebody out on the first punch."It would help if the Jets could get Wilson involved. When he's in a groove, the offense performs better.He knew this wasn't going to be a breeze, not with cornerback Christian Gonzalez on the other side. Wilson has struggled against him in previous games. This time, he was covered by Gonzalez on 17 of his 30 pass routes, per NFL Next Gen Stats -- generally when he lined up on the outside. It makes you wonder what would have happened if the Jets would have deployed Wilson more often in the slot to potentially continue to create favorable matchups."He's a really good player, and he followed me, and some plays he didn't," Wilson said. "I think it was just -- I don't know, it was just taking advantage of the look, whatever we were getting, whatever Geno was seeing. And that's how it shook out today."The upside is that Cooper, a rookie first-round pick in his first full NFL game, enjoyed a breakout -- six catches for 103 yards. Running back Braelon Allen continued to fill in nicely for injured Breece Hall, rushing for 78 yards on 17 carries for a healthy 4.6 yards per carry average.Smith said he disagreed with the premise that Wilson's lack of involvement threw the offense out of whack, noting that other players were able to produce."I think Omar did a great job of getting open, [Kenyon Sadiq] was open a few times, [Mason Taylor] was having a great game," said Smith, whose first interception of the season was a fourth-quarter crusher. "I think our game plan was working the way it should. Again, if we just finish those drives, I think we're talking a lot different."Coach Aaron Glenn said "we have all the confidence in the world" that Wilson can beat any cornerback, adding they were able to get the ball to him as the game progressed. Not really, though, not until they were in catch-up mode in the fourth quarter.Wilson, in control of his emotions, was measured in his postgame comments, sometimes pausing before choosing his words."I'm going to watch this film and see how I can get more separation or just find a way to get on the right page with [Geno] and find a way to make defenses pay for the looks that we've been getting," Wilson said. "Because [the opportunities] are there."
