What Allowed Mike White to Be So Successful Against the Bengals?
Remember when Zach Wilson threw four interceptions against the Patriots back in Week 2? Head coach Robert Saleh told reporters after the game that the rookie needs to learn how to play a boring game of football.
Six weeks later, Wilson's backup proved that boring can also be magical and historic, paving the way to an unforgettable 34-31 upset over the Bengals.
In his first career start, White threw for 405 yards with three touchdowns, dinking and dunking his way into the history books.
No other quarterback in NFL history had ever thrown for 300-plus yards with a 75% completion percentage in their first start. White's 37 completions (on 45 attempts) also go down as a new NFL record for a quarterback making their starting debut.
So, how did this no-name signal-caller dismantle one of the best defensive units in the National Football League, leading his team to an improbable comeback victory? White took what the defense gave him all afternoon, leaning on playmakers while executing an impeccable game plan.
New York has struggled mightily with slow starts this season. It's been well-documented. Rather than deferring the opening kickoff when the Jets won the coin toss, giving White more time to stir and think about his first drive of the day, Saleh flipped the script, electing to receive and throw his offense right into the fire.
"It just felt like it would be good to get him the ball early and get the jitterbugs out of his stomach," Saleh said on Sunday after the win. "It worked out."
It certainly did. White orchestrated a flawless opening drive, strutting 75 yards in 10 plays while completing all seven of his passes.
That drive was a sign of what was to come in front of a raucous crowd at MetLife Stadium. Instead of reverting to New York's previous tendencies, running the ball early in drives and failing to move the chains, White came out throwing. The first five plays of the Jets' opening drive were completions through the air, catching the Bengals off guard and helping White get comfortable quickly.
"I compare it all the time to a three-point shooter in basketball," White explained. "If they’re struggling from three points, they try to get to the line and see the ball go in, so I compare it a lot to that. As a quarterback, you’re seeing the ball completed and you’re moving the chains. Whether it’s five yards, six yards, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a 20-yard throw to start the game. It helps get the offense in a rhythm, it helps the guys kind of calm down and things of that nature."
Even two interceptions on White's next two possessions didn't deter the backup from continuing to sling it. It didn't take long before White had opened up the run game and screen game. New York rattled off 32 first downs (23 on passes) in the win while dominating the time of possession.
"A lot of credit to [offensive coordinator Mike] LaFleur," running back Michael Carter told reporters. "I think he did a really good job today putting us in a position to win and then it just came down to us executing."
As much as it seemed like White was never going deep—averaging 3.7 air yards per completion—that doesn't mean he didn't have receivers running deep routes.
Saleh reiterated that LaFleur had sprinkled the opportunity for explosive plays in his game plan, but with the Bengals taking away shots down the field in zone coverage, White played it smart, taking advantage of space closer to the line of scrimmage.
"I know a lot of the early plays went underneath, but those were designed shots," he said. "White was really good at just taking what the defense gave. The defense gave space underneath and he gave it to his playmakers, and they went and made plays."
Looking back through the highlights, a big chunk of White's completions were quick tosses to Carter or Ty Johnson, allowing the backs to turn upfield and make defenders miss. While Wilson has spent much of this season trying to fit throws into coverage and make big plays happen, White was in charge, biding his time until windows opened in the secondary. You know, like his dime down the sideline to Braxton Berrios, a key touchdown right before halftime.
"We knew watching them, they played a little bit of everything. Just so happened on Sunday that we saw a lot more zone," White added. "When you see zone and two-high zone specifically, they're trying to not let anything behind them. You've got to get into those zones quickly while they're expanding so you can get the ball in their hands and they can get up field quickly. That's when five-yard completions turn into seven or eight."
Perhaps that style isn't sustainable, and other defenses that face White over the next few weeks will be more mindful of those short passes before Wilson returns. But 405 passing yards is no joke. And even if most of his completions were on short passes, New York averaged 6.6 yards per play on Sunday, the most they've had in a game all entire season.
"I think we did a great job of taking what they gave us and executing the play calls and executing the plan that LaFleur drew up for us," White said. "I think with this offense, you’ve got to execute within the offense and stay in those third and manageables and first down, second down, third down, and that’s what the result can be."
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