Is Jets quarterback Mike White actually good?
Is Mike White actually a good quarterback?
Going 22-of-28 for 315 yards and three touchdowns and leading the NFL in Week 12 with a 149.3 passing rating is about as good as it gets. But how many quarterbacks would do something similar against a shoddy Chicago Bears defense?
"That's not his first game playing. He's been in this league a while now. He has starts. He was up to the task and he was getting the ball out of his hands quick, making good decisions. They were blocking well, catching well. They were doing all the things good teams do," said Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell when asked about White on Thursday.
White, 27, ripped the Bears apart in the rain. But here's what opposing quarterbacks have done against the Bears since they traded their two best defensive players, linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive end Robert Quinn.
- Tua Tagovailoa: 21-of-30, 302 yards, 3 TD, 135.7 rating
- Jared Goff: 19-of-26, 236 yard, 1 TD, 113.6 rating
- Marcus Mariota: 13-of-20, 131 yards, 1 TD, 100.2 rating
- Mike White: 22-of-28, 315 yards, 3 TD, 149.3 rating
Yes, even Marcus Mariota, on the least pass-happy team in the NFL, posted a 100 passer rating against the Bears.
But there's more to Mike White. According to Andrew Siciliano, the Jets have had three games in the last four seasons where they've scored 30+ points with 450+ total yards. White started all three of those games.
White's PFF grade of 81.8 was elite against the Bears. That's his only game this season, which is just his second getting playing time since being drafted by the Cowboys in 2018. Outside of a big game against the Bengals last season, he wasn't very good in four games last season..
- White vs. Patriots: 20-of-32, 202 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
- White vs. Bengals: 37-of-45, 405 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
- White vs. Colts: 7-of-11, 95 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
- White vs. Bills: 24-of-44, 251 yards, 0 TD, 4 INT
According to PFF, White had nine turnover-worthy passes in 123 graded attempts last season. He had one turnover-worthy play in 32 attempts against the Bears. That's 10 turnover-worthy throws in five games.
Baker Mayfield has six turnover-worthy passes in 184 graded attempts this season, according to PFF. So, yeah, not good.
Maybe White is finally in a situation where he can thrive. But he has a lot to prove before he can even put himself in the same class as Taylor Heinicke, who was waived by the Vikings, Patriots, Texans and Panthers before sticking with Washington. White has been waived fours times, once by Dallas and three times by the Jets.
Related: Justin Jefferson vs. Sauce Gardner is as good as it gets
