Has the Jets locker room made their decision on who the quarterback should be going forward?
First, it was players wearing Mike White t-shirts before the game. Then after the game, there were some very strong, positive comments from wide receiver Garrett Wilson about White.
It certainly helps that in two games this season, White has thrown for over 300 yards twice with four total touchdowns. That’s already one more 300-yard passing game this season than Zach Wilson — Wilson had 355 in Week 8 against the Patriots — and just two fewer total touchdowns than Wilson — four passing, one rushing, one receiving for Wilson.
That’s part of the reason why, after the Jets’ 27-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Wilson said he’d “go to war” for White.
“He was out there, controlling the huddle, never letting the moment get too big,” Wilson said about his quarterback. “It was cool to see. Looking back on it now, it’s cool to think about. I know I’d go to war for that boy. He’s got something special about him.”
Garrett Wilson on playing with Mike White:
"I'll go to war for that boy. He's got something special about him." pic.twitter.com/gmEPKbV7Az
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) December 4, 2022
When were you hearing players talk like that about Zach Wilson? Very little, if any.
The team clearly feels they are turning the page with White, who threw for 369 yards against the Vikings, giving him 684 passing yards in two games. That’s already more than half of Zach Wilson’s 1,279 yards in seven games.
162 of those 369 yards went to Garrett Wilson on eight catches, a new career-high for Wilson.
Two weeks ago, following a 10-3 backbreaker against the Patriots in which Wilson threw for just 77 yards, the locker room seemingly wanted no part of Wilson as their leader. Sunday, they’re wearing clothes supporting White as they arrived at U.S. Bank Stadium.
White made some key throws that gave the Jets a chance to beat the Vikings and likely kept the starting job for another week as the Jets head to Buffalo next week for a huge game against the Bills, the team New York beat 20-17 in Week 9.
Despite the loss in Week 13, the Jets’ offense seems to be playing with more confidence than they were with Wilson under center. They’ll need all that confidence as they fight for one of the last spots in the AFC playoffs after dropping to 7-5 with the loss Sunday. Really, they’ll need to go to war over the final five weeks of the season. Fortunately for Mike White, he now knows he has a plethora of soldiers by his side, including the potential Offensive Rookie of the Year in Garrett Wilson.