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Player who must step up: QB Zach Wilson

The rookie's performance over the final five games will determine whether the Jets' season is an abject failure or a positive springboard into 2022. So far, the second overall pick has been a disappointment, with only six touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in eight starts, but he made progress in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. It was "by far" his best game in terms of playing within the structure of the offense, according to coach Robert Saleh. If Wilson can stack games like that, it will reinforce the Jets' belief that he is the right guy at the most important position. -- Rich Cimini

Let's focus on a positive that came out of the latest lopsided Jets loss: Zach Wilson showed some legitimate promise with an excellent first half against the Eagles. The rookie quarterback, who has seemed overwhelmed for long stretches of his rookie season, led the Jets to touchdowns on each of their first three possessions -- breaking a season-long trend of slow starts to begin his NFL career. Wilson moved well on his injured knee and unfurled some precise lasers that sparked the imagination of excitement-starved Jets fans at the Meadowlands. New York's defense is an abomination that doesn't allow them to be competitive on most weeks, but a strong finish by Wilson will send the organization into the offseason on a high.

Zach Wilson is playing better, which is what the rest of the season is all about. The defense was awful against the Eagles.

Need a reason to smile, NYJ fans? Rookie WR Elijah Moore looks like a keeper, amassing 28 catches for 392 yards and five TDs in the past five games.

Best-case scenario: The Jets spent considerable draft capital last offseason trying to improve their offense (whether it worked is a subject for another day). Now the best Jets fans can hope for over this last, probably miserable, month of the season is for New York to wind up in position to draft an elite defensive player next spring. The Jets' defense is a mess: last in total defensive Expected Points Added, by a considerable margin, per TruMedia; last in interceptions (four in 12 games) and 26th in total pressures, per Pro Football Focus. Clearly, they could use help everywhere.