Zach Wilson spoke softly, but unbeknownst to the audience carried a big stick.

Following a game where he was benched in favor of the-now released Tim Boyle and then passed over for Trevor Siemian, there was breaking news around the New York Jets quarterback.

Coach Robert Saleh went to Wilson and conveyed the team wanted to go back to him ... and Wilson was reportedly reluctant to take the reins.

Why? For fear of a potential injury.

Saleh had to deny the report on Monday. Aaron Rodgers, still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, came to Wilson's defense on Tuesday.

As if being benched wasn't enough, now this report was going around. So how did Wilson respond? How did he defend himself against the latest news about him?

On Sunday, Wilson helped the Jets crush the surging Houston Texans by throwing for 301 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions on 27-of-36 passing in the Jets' 30-6 victory at MetLife Stadium.

"The second half, I thought Zach probably played the best game of his career,” Saleh said after the game. "He was out there having a good time, and he made a lot of things happen that weren't there. ... I thought he was outstanding today."

The third-year veteran found receiver Garrett Wilson for nine catches and 108 yards, running back Breece Hall hauled in eight receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, and tight end Tyler Conklin had 57 receiving yards on four catches.

Randall Cobb caught Wilson's first touchdown of throw on the day — a 15-yard score.

Wilson finished the game with a 117.9 passer rating — the highest of his career. The 301 passing yards and 27 completions are both the third most he's thrown in a game.

"My focus is on how ... we can stack this win and we gotta use it for next week," Wilson said. "We need to understand that this is the standard. But we're going to enjoy this one."

Even when thing didn't go well for Wilson, such as losing a fumble, he recovered from the misstep. In the battle of the No. 2-overall picks, Wilson outplayed quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has the 7-6 Texans in the AFC wild card picture and is the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

It left everyone watching the game stunned.

Wilson produced the only response that could quiet the noise around him and satiate his critics.

So this is the player that Saleh was telling reporters wanted the ball? This is the guy linebacker Quincy Williams was praising for his work ethic and Rodgers said he loved so much?

After a performance like this — one where Wilson said nothing, and let his play do all of the responding — it makes more sense.

The only thing that might've made this better is if Wilson emulated a young Kirk Cousins back in the day and walked through the tunnel, yelling, "You like that?!"

But Wilson took the road of humility when asked about how it felt to turn in that kind of performance given what was being said about him.

“Winning is always fun,” Wilson said.