With Zach Wilson at quarterback, the New York Jets failed to score points of any kind in the first quarter of any game this season.
Insert Mike White. The fourth-year pro who made his first appearance in an NFL game when Wilson suffered a knee injury in Week 7 got his first start on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was perfect on the Jets’ opening drive. And New York got on the board in the first quarter for the first time this season when Michael Carter took a toss eight yards to the end zone to give the Jets an early 7-0 lead.
Carter’s touchdown culminated a 10-play, 75-yard drive that saw White connect on 7-of-7 pass attempts for 65 yards. Not bad for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft who didn’t see live NFL action until last week.
Should Wilson be worried? Of course not. Not yet, at least. Wilson got off to a brutal start to his NFL career, completing just 57.5% of his passes with four touchdowns and nine interceptions in a 1-5 Jets start. But the No. 2 pick in April’s draft will get his job back as soon as he’s recovered from the sprained PCL that’s expected to sideline him 2-4 weeks.
Plus, Wilson followed up his perfect start with interceptions of each of the Jets’ next two possessions. That’s the Jets football New York fans have come to expect.
