To say the New York Jets have had a wacky season at the quarterback position may be the understatement of the century. A season where one of the biggest storylines heading into training camp was how Zach Wilson could improve in his second season has turned into the Jets starting and ending the season with Joe Flacco as their starter with Mike White mixed in for good measure.
Flacco will start the season finale against the Miami Dolphins as White has been ruled out due to his fractured ribs and discomfort throughout the week. Wilson, who has bounced between QB1 and QB3 all season, will be the backup.
Flacco is excited for what will be his fourth start and fifth appearance in a game this season after starting the first three games of the season while Wilson was dealing with a knee injury suffered in the first game of the preseason. Flacco went 1-2 in his three starts, the win being the rally in the final two minutes in Week 2 against the Browns.
The Super Bowl XLVII champion is excited for this opportunity Sunday in Miami. “Anytime you get a chance to lace ’em up, and you know you’re going to be out there to begin the game and give it a go, it’s very exciting,” Flacco said. “A lot of emotions go through your body.”
Flacco also admits it’s been a strange season where he has also been shuffled around the depth chart between injuries and the coaches wanting to give White more time as the No. 2 quarterback. “I think when you sign on a team, especially in a role that I signed on this team with, you never know how things are going to work out, and you have to be willing and ready to do your job in whatever capacity that is.”
Flacco added: “Every season presents different challenges. Yeah, can you get angry and can you act like a baby and do all those things? I guess so. I hope that I would never do that. Just look at it, try to find positives in things, and continue to come about my work day as best as I can and see where that takes me. At this point, I have an opportunity to play the last week of the season and go have a lot of fun out there on Sunday. At this point, you forget all about that stuff, and you’re just excited to go play a football game.”
Incredibly, Flacco just needs to throw two touchdown passes against the Dolphins to finish as the team leader for the season. Wilson has six touchdown passes, Flacco has five, White has three and Braxton Berrios has one. Flacco is also 290 yards behind White for second in passing yards. Wilson will finish as the team leader there with 1,688.
Flacco has a chance to play spoiler against the Dolphins. A win in Miami would knock the Dolphins out of the playoffs and bring what once looked like a promising season to a screeching halt. Miami was once sitting at 8-3. They have lost five straight.
They will also be relying on 7th-round rookie Skylar Thompson to get them into the playoffs, along with needing Buffalo to beat New England.
Flacco can also give the Jets their first winning streak against Miami since winning three straight between 2014 and 2015, as well as New York’s first season sweep of the Dolphins since 2015.