Super Bowl bound with Broadway Zach? Are the Jets in line for Lombardi success after upset win over Bills?

Zach Wilson and the New York Jets entered Sunday with a 5-3 record. While respectable, few outside the fanbase expected them to take down the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are a clear Super Bowl contender and favorites to take home the AFC East crown.

Well, that narrative was turned upside down Sunday when they pulled off a gritty, 20-17 victory to improve to 6-3 on the year. Wilson only had one touchdown, but he did not throw any interceptions. That was the key as his counterpart, Josh Allen, had two interceptions and no touchdowns.

So does this shocking victory mean the Jets are now the new Super Bowl favorites in the AFC?

Zach Wilson is the X-factor for the Jets' Super Bowl chances

Buffalo Bills v New York Jets

The Jets clearly have an elite defense and are getting elite coaching from Robert Saleh. Yet the record may be even better with more top-tier play coming from Wilson.

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Matt Waldman

@MattWaldman

Zach Wilson beats the blitz. Best throw of day for #Jets QB

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Zach Wilson beats the blitz. Best throw of day for #Jets QB https://t.co/CP7d8m3Ik5

The young signal-caller only has three passing touchdowns all year, albeit in six games. He has three combined in the past two weeks, which may signal that he is heating up.

But his stats remain a concern after Joe Flacco lit up opposing defenses for the first three weeks of the season. Yet that does prove the talent is there surrounding Wilson on offense. It's just up to him to unlock everyone's full potential.

The key for him now is staying healthy. It's fair to point out how he began the year injured, meaning he is just now getting into a sense of consistency for weekly preparation this year. He is about a month behind other quarterbacks in the league.

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Jets Videos

@snyjets

Robert Saleh says Zach Wilson was "poised" today:

"He's gonna be a good football player. He's still a pup in this league and he's got a long way to go, but I thought he did a really nice job today."

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Robert Saleh says Zach Wilson was "poised" today:

"He's gonna be a good football player. He's still a pup in this league and he's got a long way to go, but I thought he did a really nice job today." https://t.co/IyxfP39QIz

So no, at this point it's hard to declare the upstart team as serious Super Bowl contenders. They just squeaked by Buffalo and Allen had his first real clunker of the season. Those come few and far between.

A more fair analysis is that Wilson and company are in the mix in what remains a wide open AFC. They are one of the teams with a shot to compete, but Wilson still needs to play much better to get his team on the same level as the Bills, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens.

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