New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed on Monday Zach Wilson is his starting quarterback until further notice. 

“I’ve got full confidence in Zach, we all do,” Saleh said coming off Sunday’s 22-17 loss to the New England Patriots that included Wilson throwing three interceptions, per the Jets’ website. “It’s not like he hasn’t had bad games before, and he’s stepped up and followed it with good days. The way he preps and the way he practices and the questions he asks, we have faith that he’ll continue to find ways to get better.” 

Analysts and fans alike have blasted Wilson for his performance that left former NFL quarterback Matt Cassel calling for Saleh to bench the second-year pro in favor of veteran Joe Flacco. Saleh declared on Monday that “Zach is our quarterback” and that it’s expected the 23-year-old will improve across the second half of the campaign. 

“I think Zach is going to continue to get better, I think he is a lot better than he was a year ago like I’ve told you guys,” Saleh explained. “Like everyone, we can all look in the mirror and look at the decisions that we’ve all made yesterday, we all took turns, whether it was an ill-advised penalty, whether it was special teams play, protection. Whatever it was, we’ve all got to get better. Zach obviously is the quarterback, he’s got the ball in his hands, he’s the most obvious in terms of being critical on, but he’s gotten a lot better, expecting him to continue to get better. Do I expect it all to be clean? No, every quarterback has their days, but he’s our quarterback because we think he is going to get better and he is going to continue to prove why he was the number two pick.” 

Linebacker C.J. Mosley also went to bat for Wilson during Monday’s media availability, but neither Mosley nor Saleh can silence calls to play either Flacco or fellow backup Mike White with the Jets at 5-3 and in contention for a playoff spot. Currently, Wilson is completing just 54.9% of his pass attempts and is 34th among eligible quarterbacks with a 71.0 passer rating and 24th with a 41.8 total QBR this season. 

Wilson will look to bolster his stats and guide the Jets to an upset win when Gang Green hosts the 6-1 Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium this coming Sunday.