The New York Jets offense is back. And Zach Wilson looks out of a job.
With Mike White at quarterback, the Jets torched the Chicago Bears in a 31-10 win on Sunday. A week after posting three points and 103 yards with Wilson directing the offense, the Jets rolled up three passing touchdowns and 466 yards of offense in Sunday’s win.
The win leaves the Jets at 7-4 and in the thick of the AFC playoff race. At this point, there’s little reason for the Jets to consider handing the reins back to Wilson, who was benched after last week’s effort against the New England Patriots.
New York got the ball rolling on its opening possession on Sunday with a 75-yard drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson. After Chicago responded with 10 unanswered points, the Jets answered with a 24-0 scoring run that included a 22-yard dime from White to Elijah Moore to extend Chicago’s lead to 24-7.
The touchdown was White’s third of the day, and the rout was one. It was also Moore’s first score of the season in a disappointing second NFL campaign that saw the 2021 second-round pick enter Sunday with 220 receiving yards. It may have sealed White’s status as New York’s starter moving forward.
White finished the day completing 22 of 28 pass attempts for 315 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. His single-game touchdown tally fell one short of Wilson’s total for the season. In seven games, Wilson’s averaging 182.7 passing yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. White’s passing total eclipsed all but one of Wilson’s single-game efforts in 20 career games since he was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2021 draft.
With New York built to win this season, White looks like the best option moving forward for the playoff push. For now, at least. Beating up on a Bears defense that gives up 24.9 points per game is one thing. Succeeding against a schedule that includes remaining games against the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles will prove a tougher task.
White, meanwhile, has been here before. He played in four games last season when Wilson was injured. His stint ended with a 1-3 record, five touchdowns and eight interceptions including a four-interception dud against the Bills.
But Wilson wasn’t benched strictly for his on-field performance. He declined to take accountability for his poor effort against the Patriots last week while Garrett Wilson openly criticized New York’s offense to the media. He didn’t just lose the game. He appeared to lose the locker room alongside the confidence of Robert Saleh. The Jets head coach insisted that Wilson’s benching wasn’t “a nail in his coffin.”
But until proven otherwise, the job should be White’s to lose.