3 Takeaways from Jets' Week 13 Loss vs. Vikings

The New York Jets still have a shot at making the 2022 postseason, but Sunday's loss to the 10-2 Minnesota Vikings still stings.

The Jets came extremely close to knocking off one of the top teams in the NFL, and if not for a pair of late Minnesota defensive stands, they probably would have.

Braxton Berrios dropped a would-be touchdown on 4th-and-goal, and Mike White was picked off near the goal line on the ensuing possession, ending two potential go-ahead drives on New York's final possessions.

Losses by the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins help New York's cause, but the Buffalo Bills now have a two-game lead in the AFC East. The Jets will have to regroup in a hurry, as Buffalo is on tap for Week 14.

Here's what we learned during New York's Week 13 loss to the Vikings.

Let's start with a positive. New York got a firsthand look at arguably the league's best wideout in Justin Jefferson on Sunday. While the two-time Pro Bowler had his moments, including a 10-yard touchdown reception, the Jets did a solid job of containing him.

Jefferson finished with seven catches for 45 yards and the score.

Meanwhile, Jets rookie wideout Garrett Wilson showed yet again that he has superstar potential.

The Jets took the Ohio State product 10th overall in April's draft, and he has rarely disappointed. Coming into Sunday, he had caught 49 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns.

Against the Vikings, though, Wilson largely had his way with the Minnesota secondary. He caught eight passes on 15 targets for a career-high 162 yards. At times, Wilson appeared to be the best player on the field.

Wilson is on his way to cracking the coveted 1,000-yard mark as a rookie, and it's clear that the Jets got a good one when they made him the second receiver off the board last April. The rookie has already established himself as New York's top receiver, and performances like Sunday's could earn him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

The Jets probably aren't turning back to 2021 second overall pick Zach Wilson after Sunday's loss. White played well enough, and Wilson has largely been a disaster dating back to his rookie campaign.

However, White's two-interception day does crack the door open for a Wilson return ever so slightly. New York needed White (31-of-57 for 369 yards and two interceptions) to carry the offense against the Vikings, and he faltered. This sets up a critical situation against the Bills next week.

The last time White started against Buffalo—in Week 10 of last season—he tossed four interceptions during a 45-17 rout. A similar performance could have him back on the bench and give Wilson one last opportunity in 2022.

The question is whether Wilson will have learned anything during his stint on the sideline. Wilson's personal quarterback coach, John Beck, believes that the BYU product can.

"This is something that’s going to be a tough one for him, to go out on the field and not be the guy, but I think a lot of growth can happen," Beck said, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.

If White struggles against the Bills and Wilson doesn't rebound in a big way, the Jets could be looking at the quarterback market in 2023. This is a team that firmly believes that it is ready to win now.

The Jets have shown a tremendous amount of growth under second-year coach Robert Saleh. Past Jets teams would have been content to come close to beating the Vikings or being in the playoff conversation in December.

This New York squad is different.

"If we play like that, we'll win more often than not," Saleh said, per Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, adding that "It wasn’t good enough today."

Coming close shouldn't be good enough, at least for a team that fancies itself a contender. And that's what this Jets team is. At 7-5, New York has already won more games than it did over its last two seasons combined. The Jets have matched their highest win total since 2015.

But New York won't be satisfied with being better if the result is missing the postseason. This is why Saleh turned to White instead of riding it out with Wilson and Sunday's loss hurts more than it might have in 2020 or 2021.

This is a team that can make noise in the postseason, and as Sunday's game showed, it's one that can hang with the best that the NFL has to offer. After years of being also-rans, Jets fans should be thrilled that hanging isn't good enough anymore.