The Houston Texans began their preparation for the New York Jets earlier in the week, not knowing who might be under center on Sunday. For Head Coach David Culley said, "it didn't matter."
"We're going to play defense the same way," Culley said. "We kind of know those guys that, whoever they do play, we know their background, we know what they've done. Basically, we'll just prepare them for their offensive football team regardless of who their quarterback is back there."
On Wednesday, the Texans got their answer. Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh announced that rookie Zach Wilson would return as the starter for Week 12.
"It's like we said when he (Wilson) got fully healthy, we'd make a decision, and the decision was most likely going to be that he's back in there," Saleh said via Jets.com. "As soon as we got clearance that he was fully healthy and he was ready to roll and he was good mentally healthy, we were good with the decision."
Wilson, selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, hasn't played since being sidelined with a knee injury he suffered against New England in Week 7. In Wilson's six starts, he has thrown for 1168 yards, completing 57.5 percent of passes for four touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also rushed for 22 yards on eight attempts.
"This guy (Zach Wilson) is very talented," Culley said. "There is a reason he was picked second; was he the number two pick? He has the skill set. This is the same guy who threw four interceptions in one game and came back in another game and threw four touchdowns. Obviously, he is very talented and very gifted, and we know what he is capable of doing."
In Wilson's absence, Mike White and Joe Flacco both started games but have been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list this week. That leaves QB Josh Johnson as the backup behind Wilson.
This will mark the third game that the Texans defense will face a rookie QB this year, after playing No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence in Week 1 against Jacksonville and Patriots QB Mac Jones in Week 5. Houston's defense, which is tied for fourth in the NFL with 13 interceptions, had four picks in those two games.
The Texan will host the Jets on Sunday at NRG Stadium on CBS and SportsRadio 610.Kickoff is set for noon CT. Click here for tickets.
