Do Jets Have QB Battle After Mike White’s First Start Of Season?

In unlikely 2021 football news, the New York Jets may have a quarterback battle on their hands.

With rookie Zach Wilson sidelined after he suffered a knee injury against the New England Patriots in Week 7, Mike White was under center for the Jets against the Cincinnati Bengals — and he made franchise history in the process.

White, making his first NFL start, finished the day with 405 passing yards in a 34-31 win. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post and WFAN, that’s the most for a Jets quarterback since Vinny Testaverde (Dec. 24, 2000). In total, he was 37-of-45 passing with three touchdowns and two picks.

Perhaps that’s something that was foreshadowed by his first drive, when he got the Jets on the scoreboard by going 7-of-7 for 65 yards on a 10-play drive that ended in the end zone.

White was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 and joined the Jets practice squad in September 2020.

Wilson led the NFL with nine interceptions entering Week 8 and led the team to a 1-5 record on 57.5% passing. The rookie is expected back in in two to four weeks after he was diagnosed with a strained PCL, but after Sunday, one has to wonder if he’ll be back on the field or on the bench.