Mike White’s first start of the season couldn’t have gone any better.
Now he and the Jets are hoping for another standout performance against the talented Vikings defense.
“They play what they play and they play it well,” White said about the Vikings defense. “It helps having a lot of experience on the backend as they play that keep everything in the front and limit the big plays.
“It is a test of patience...but you can’t get caught in that game. You have to take what they give you and have to consistently do it.”
Last week against the Bears, White completed 22-of-28 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns as he efficiently ran the Jets offense.
That was a significant change from Zach Wilson, who was benched last week after his performance against the Patriots on Nov. 20 when he completed only 9-of-22 passes for 77 yards in a 10-3 loss. Now White will look to replicate his performance last week against a Vikings team that isn’t known for its pass coverage.
Minnesota is ranked dead last in passing yards allowed as they give up 276.1 yards per game through the air. The Vikings are 14th in the league in sacks, as they have 29 on the season. They rarely blitz, as Minnesota likes to use its defensive linemen to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
“They’ve played a lot of ball,” White said about the Vikings defense. “They’re an experienced bunch, they’re smart, they play with vision, so you definitely have to be on your P’s and Q’s and you gotta execute and be on your details.
“The pass rush with Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter, they’re good. It’s no walk in the park, you gotta be on your stuff and you gotta execute.”
White’s story is one that is often portrayed in movies. After he was signed to the Jets practice squad in 2019, he was waived and then added back to the practice squad. Then following a stint on the active roster, White was waived again, only to stick with the Jets in 2021.
Then he got his shot to start last season against the Bengals after Wilson suffered a PCL injury that caused him to miss four games. In his first career start, White completed 37-of-45 passes for 405 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in a 37-34 upset win against Cincinnati.
White couldn’t duplicate the same success after that in losses against the Colts and the Bills. Against Buffalo, White completed 24-of-44 passes for 251 yards, zero touchdowns and four interceptions.
Coming into this training camp, White got off to a slow start as he was the third-string quarterback behind Wilson and Joe Flacco. And then Wilson got hurt and missed seven weeks due to a meniscus injury in the preseason, which elevated White to backup behind Flacco.
Following Wilson’s return, White moved back down to third-string but became the Jets’ backup quarterback once again after the Jets demoted Flacco to third-string. Now he finds himself again in the starting role with a chance to hold on to it for the rest of the year.
During the last year plus, White says he learned a lot.
“I can play every play from that game over and over again more than the Cincinnati game,” White said. “I think that’s when you learn the most when things don’t go so well.
“I learned a lot and the problem that I can get into is I’m able to process things quickly, it is just keeping my body in sync with how fast my brain is processing.
“I learned a lot and on top of that, just not playing hero ball like I’ve referenced a bunch of times. I think that was a big part of what I got away from, I thought I needed to get the team back into the game and that’s not how the game is supposed to be played.”
The Jets haven’t committed to White for the rest of the season as they said they plan to eventually get Wilson back onto the field at some point. When that is exactly is yet to be determined.
With the Jets at 7-4 and having an opportunity to claim one of the playoff spots in the AFC, White has a chance to help them clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2010. As long as White continues to play well, it is hard to see the team benching him for Wilson, who has failed to live up to his No. 2 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Jets likely want to see if White can continue to stack up wins and performances as he did against the Bears and against the Bengals before committing to anything long-term. Either way, White said he is not looking over his shoulder because of the lack of commitment.
“The only way to attack this is the same way as last year,” White said. “The NFL is 17 one-week seasons. Because when you win one week, you’re on top of the world and if you lose the next week, it’s the end of the world.
“I think how I’m personally going to attack this is try to beat Minnesota this week and have fun with my guys.”
