Filling in for the injured Zach Wilson, Mike White delivers an outstanding performance in the New York Jets’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Has the 26-year-old recommended himself directly for higher tasks?

Munich – The victory of the New York Jets against the Cincinnati Bengals might have been the biggest surprise of the past NFL game day. One of the worst teams in the league beating the best franchise in the AFC up to that point.

That the Jets’ backup quarterback, of all people, was on the field in that statement win only made matters more special. In his first game as a starter, Mike White immediately made an extraordinary impression.

Not only did he lead his team to a surprising 34:31, but his stats were also exceptional. Although the 26-year-old had to accept two interceptions, he only failed to complete six of his 45 passes.

White put 37 completions with a total of 405 yards and three touchdowns on the scoreboard. He also caught the ball himself in the end zone on a two-point conversion after a trick play.

White like Cam Newton

Makes the signal caller the first quarterback since Cam Newton to manage more than 400 passing yards in his NFL debut as a starter.

When he was in high school, White, a Florida native, never imagined that he would have such success in the NFL. Although he played football in high school, his main focus was on a baseball career. For NSU University School, he was one of the team’s most important pitchers, and even scouts from the MLB were watching him at the time.

Over time, however, the sideline football became more and more. In his senior year of high school, White was finally named the starting quarterback. With more than 2,200 yards and 22 touchdowns with only two interceptions, he was completely convincing.

No breakthrough with the Cowboys

However, things didn’t go so well in college at first. White first attended the University of South Florida in Tampa, but was unable to attract attention there. A little later he transferred to Western Kentucky University, but due to the NCAA’s transfer regulations he didn’t play at first. It was only in the following two years that he stabilised and was selected to the Second-Team All-C-USA.

However, after White was selected by the Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft at No. 171, things didn’t really progress. In Dallas, he operated only as a third-string playmaker, and he was eventually released in the summer of 2019.

And things didn’t go well at first with the New York Jets, who signed him shortly thereafter. In his first season, White was not in the squad several times and could not assert himself against Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco and James Morgan. It wasn’t until the start of this season that his situation changed.

Zach Wilson backs White

Since 2021, White has been part of the active roster and backup to starter Zach Wilson. When the latter suffered an injury in Week 7, White stepped in but couldn’t prevent the 13-54 loss to the New England Patriots. Last weekend, when he played his first NFL game as a starter against the Bengals, the playmaker finally convinced all along the line.

For rookie Wilson, whom the Jets selected second in this year’s draft, the current situation might not be easy. For weeks, the rookie has been trying to win – but in six games he has only managed one.

If White is to be believed, Wilson was nevertheless delighted with the outstanding performance of his backup. The 26-year-old said after the game that Wilson was his number one cheerleader. “Zach was great. When I came off the field, he was the first person in the gym to congratulate me. He gave me a huge hug,” the playmaker said.

But White was very cautious about it: “I was really nervous that I would have touched his knee and hurt him. Honestly, he might have been more psyched than me. He was messaging me during the game. Every time we played, he would send me a message on my phone. Obviously, I didn’t reply. He said, ‘Oh my God, that was fantastic.’ Then he wrote me a long congratulatory message. “

405 yards
3 TD

👑 @MikeWhiteQB pic.twitter.com/ACHvdQUrlF

– New York Jets (@nyjets) October 31, 2021

Head Coach Saleh doesn’t commit to starters

Even though the atmosphere between the two signal callers seems to be guided by cordiality, the question of the future starter remains unanswered so far. Or rather, head coach Robert Saleh left plenty of room for speculation with his statements after the Bengals win.

When asked if White could be the Jets’ long-term solution, Saleh didn’t have an answer. “We’ll go day to day, but anything is possible, right? Anything is possible,” the coach said in praise of his backup: “Mike is fantastic. He’s poised, he’s shown throughout training camp and OTAs that he deserves to be one of these guys, and obviously he showed it today.”

But whether White really has a realistic chance of challenging Wilson for the starter’s job remains to be seen. At the very least, he’ll get another chance to prove himself in the NFL’s ninth-round opener. In the Thursday night game against the Indianapolis Colts, Wilson will be missing in any case due to injury.