The New York Jets received some troubling news this week.
On Monday, January 2 head coach Robert Saleh announced that Mike White would be the starting quarterback in Week 18 versus the Miami Dolphins.
On Wednesday, January 4 the Jets had a walkthrough practice so the injury report “estimated” what all the players would have done if they actually went through a normal practice.
White was projected as a “full participant” in that workout however on Thursday he was downgraded to “limited with his ribs injury.”
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said that isn’t a “great sign for Sunday.”
Jets Are Set for Another QB Change Ahead of Dolphins Finale
The Jets haven’t officially announced anything yet, but on top of White being downgraded in practice, he also chose to skip his scheduled media session, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.
Connor Hughes of SNY added some more context to that by saying White “hasn’t skipped a media appearance ever” and was “in and out quick today.” He categorized the downgrade to limited in a walk-through as “weird.”
By all accounts, it sure seems like the Jets are leaning towards not having White available on Sunday in the regular season finale versus the Dolphins.
When Saleh announced earlier in the week that White would start he also revealed that veteran backup Joe Flacco would serve as the No. 2.
Rosenblatt said if White can’t go he would be “surprised” if the team turned to Zach Wilson based on everything he has heard from the coaching staff this week.
It’ll be interesting to see if Saleh sticks by his words from earlier in the week and rides with Flacco or if he makes a change based on the new information that is available.
The Jets-Dolphins Quarterback Matchup Everyone Was Dreaming Of
The Jets aren’t the only team on Sunday that’ll be dealing with an array of quarterback issues.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel already revealed earlier this week that Tua Tagovailoa will not be a part of the team’s plans on Sunday.
That leaves a quarterback room featuring Teddy Bridgewater who is dealing with a broken finger, unproven rookie Skylar Thompson, and recent veteran addition Mike Glennon.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic let Twitter know what matchup he is hoping for on Sunday tweeting, “give me Joe Flacco versus Mike Glennon or give me death.”
give me joe flacco vs mike glennon or give me death
For the Jets, this game has no meaning as it relates to the playoff picture. There was an outside chance that the NFL was considering a whacky idea that would have included adding an extra playoff team giving Jets fans a sliver of hope for a few hours on Thursday, January 5.
That all died when the NFL made an official ruling on the Buffalo Bills versus Cincinnati Bengals matchup from Week 17.
The same can’t be said for the Dolphins who have a legitimate path to the postseason if they can beat the Jets and get some help on Sunday from the Buffalo Bills.
Coach Saleh still views this Week 18 matchup as a “championship opportunity” and would love to play spoiler to keep a rival out of the postseason.
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Jets QB Mike White Has Setback With Rib Injury Ahead of Dolphins Game