Taming The Tigers 🐯
Any. Given. Sunday.
🗽Good morning Jets fans, and welcome to another week of New York Jets Football talk. What a beautiful morning it is huh, breakfast tastes a little better, the coffee smells a little nicer and that’s all because we got a treat on Halloween.
Today we’re going to be breaking down the game against the Bengals as the Jets tamed the Tigers and walked out with an unlikely victory thanks to the heroics of a former Western Kentucky star, a defense that turned up when it needed to, and an offensive coordinator who got his groove back.
Your New York Football Jets, the same team that got blown away in Boston last week, came out and defeated a 5-2 team who put 40 points on the Ravens just 7 days ago. Go figure, let’s get into how it all played out.
🏈 Game Day 🏈
Cincinnati Bengals 31-34 New York Jets
📍Metlife Stadium, New Jersey
Did anyone really give the Jets a shot?
Breaking up the Script 📜
🏈 The Jets hadn’t scored a point in the first quarter and the Bengals hadn’t allowed a touchdown on the opening drive in 12 games. Jets backup Mike White was starting his first NFL game, so the outcome was obvious.
Mike White completed 100% (7-7) of his throws on the drive, the Jets drove 75 yards in 6 minutes 22 seconds and scored on a rushing TD by Michael Carter that was perfectly scripted and executed, with Kroft sealing the outside and AVT sealing the inside. Picture perfect.
The Jets didn’t run on the first play of the game (Yay) and that set the tone for the rest of the drive, with Mike White taking what the defense gave him, hitting his check downs regularly and showcasing this horizontal passing attack that we expected to see from week one.
I don’t know why we didn’t use this game plan with Zach, and today I don’t care. I really don’t. This is about victory in a game that ebbed and flowed, and this is about Mike White.
Booth Boy 📍
🏈 A key note to be made is that Mike LaFleur was calling plays from up in the box, his preferred location. It was the first time MLF has called plays from the box and the offense seemed to hum. A coincidence? I think not.
It was later revealed by Connor Hughes of The Athletic that MLF was in the booth because Mike White didn’t think he needed him on the sideline, whereas Zach Wilson wanted him there. It’s safe to say MLF won’t be allowed on the sideline anytime soon.
🏈 Last year during the Knicks post-season run the fans obsessed over star man Julius Randle’s hair. When it was braided he played well and the Knicks won. I can imagine MLF in the booth is going to be a similar story.
D-Fense! D-Fense! D-Fense
🏈 The first defensive stand couldn't have been more fitting either with linebacking duo Jarrad Davis and CJ Mosley making tackles to force the Bengals into a 3 and out. It was the first time the Jets had both starting linebackers available for the same game.
Pure Passion
🏈 After a Mike White pick set up the Bengals on 1st and goal from the 3-yard line, you'd expect the Bengals to punch it in. But after two inside rushes were stuffed and a 3rd down pass to Chase was broken up by rookie Brandon Echols, Joe Burrow was taken down by Quinnen while trying to go for it on 4th down. The camera panned to the sideline with Robert Saleh showcasing that energy that ignited the fanbase in the off-season.
🏈Unfortunately for the Jets, Mike White turned the ball over again and despite a great tackle by CJ on the goal line, the defense couldn't prevent the Bengals from forcing it in. There was an element of misfortune to Mike White’s two turnovers as both were sound choices on the read, and both were deflected.
Get out your own way
🏈 For as well as the Jets played, they still managed to turn the ball over three turnovers in the first half which forced the defense onto the field too often, and against an attack like the Bengals, that’s never going to end well. Yet the Jets defense did a great job limiting the Bengals to just 17 first-half points. It may sound like a lot, but when you give a good team a short field 3 times off turnovers, it’s really a great achievement.
🏈 Stat Attack. The Jets had not scored a point in the final 2 minutes of a half all season. We thought that had changed when Cole brought in a wonderful one-handed catch. Unfortunately, it was ruled incomplete on review, which is a damn shame because it was a great catch. Fortunately White connected with Berrios to make it a 3 point game at the half.
2nd Half
🏈 With the Jets coming up big with a defensive stop and then driving on offense, Mike White took a late hit which knocked him out of the game for a series. Josh Johnson continued the drive and gave Denzel Mims the chance to put the Jets ahead but the much-talked-about receiver couldn’t hang on in the end zone.
The Jets were immediately made to pay when Burrow found Tee Higgins deep, the Bengals receiver managing to escape the attention of Marcus Maye, and Joe Mixon did the rest:
The Bengals started to pull away when Burrow found Boyd in the back of the end zone and with the Jets down by 11 in the 4th quarter there seemed little hope for the victory. According to ESPN the Jets were 0-38 over the last 5 seasons when trailing by 11 or more in the final quarter.
Going back to the theme of this game though, the Jets showed fight. Like a prizefighter getting knocked down late, they came out jabbing away and eventually got their reward. This time it was Johnson taking it in and cutting the deficit to just 5 after Mike White drove the team down the field.
Then following the Jets first INT of the season, a momentum-shifting snag by Shaq Lawson, Mike White found Tyler Kroft in the back of the end-zone after looking the safety off, a veteran move by a first-time starter. Lawson said that he felt as though he blacked out after his interception.
Then to add the cherry on top, Mike White caught the 2 point conversion with MLF digging deep into the playbook.
🏈 Up 3 with around 3 minutes to go. You’d be forgiven for hiding under the covers. After all, this was a story we've seen before. Yet this Jets team, this defense, a unit that was embarrassed in Boston came out fighting, and thanks to a 3rd down sack by Rankins who was outstanding all day, the Bengals were forced to punt.
The Jets who have a shaky history with closing out games managed to put the game to bed with only one minor heart palpitation moment where Michel Carter slid short of the first down. But as fitting an end as you can get, it was Mike White with a QB sneak that sealed the game for the Jets.
Spreading the Ball
One criticism we've had through the first 6 weeks of the season for the Jets is Zach Wilson’s tendency to lock onto Corey Davis. Well there was so Zach Wilson and there was no Corey Davis, but there was a lot of ball to go around, which is what happens when you attempt 37 passes.
Four different receivers caught at least 5 passes and 10 different receivers caught at least one pass. I commented on Twitter how Mike White’s performance made me think of Chad Pennington carving teams up, these receiving stats help that argument.
📊 Stat Corner 📈
🏈 The Jets broke their drought in the first quarter. Scoring their first points of the season on a Carter TD.
🏈 They also broke their drought in the final 2 minutes of the half. Again scoring their first points of the season on a Berrios TD.
🏈 Mike White became the first Jets QB to pass for over 300 yards since Sam Darnold. This basically means he did it before Zach Wilson.
🏈 The Jets recorded their first INT since December 12th, 2020 when Lawson came down with the pick on Burrow.
🏈 Mike White became the first Jets TD to throw for 400+ yards in 327 games. The last to do it was Vinny on December 24th, 2000.
🏈 The Jets held Ja’Marr Chase to his lowest yardage total of the season with the rookie phenom only registering 32 yards receiving.
🏈 This was the first game of the season where Chase didn’t have a single deep target (20+ yards)
🏈 Mike White is only the 2nd QB since 1950 to throw for 400+ yards in his first career start. (Cam Newton)
🏈 A Jets QB has now been sacked in 42 straight games, which is the longest current active streak in the NFL.
🏈 The Jets scored 14 points in the first half. They’d scored 20 first-half points in the first 6 games of the season.
🏈 The Jets are the only team to win a game after being down by double digits with less than 5 minutes to go. Teams are now 1-59 in those scenarios. (h/t to Twitter account @uStadium)
🏈 6th different QB in franchise history with 400+ passing yards in a single game, joining Testaverde, Todd, O'Brien, Namath, and Foley.
🏈 Mike White's 37 pass completions were the most by any QB starting his first career game in the history of the NFL.
Stars of the game 🌠
🌟 CJ Mosley
This could have gone to any number of players on the defensive side of the ball. They were dealt a tough hand in the first half with the turnovers but they did well to limit Burrow to an extend.
I thought Mosley was all over the field. 10 tackles in total and the defense seemed to be clear on their assignments. Mosley doesb’t just help with his play, he’s the leader of this unit and it showed.
Honorable mention to Quinnen, Lawson, Rankins, and Davis. It was a good unit display and I have to praise Echols who was matched up with Chase for most of the day and despite the TD, Chase was held to his lowest yardage total of the season.
🌟🌟 Michael Carter
Mike White understands what he has in Michael Carter, and that’s an outstanding back as both a runner and receiver. 15 carries for 77 yards and a TD and 9 receptions for 95 yards.
Carter is a superb back who runs with the perfect blend of power and balance. He is a nightmare to bring down and he always gets that extra yard or two. He had a brain fade in the final 2 minutes when he slid short of the 3rd down, and that could have cost the Jets. But the Jets wouldn’t have been in that position had he not played as well as he did. He’s my 2-star player and on any other day, he’d be my 3-star guy.
🌟🌟🌟 Mike White
However, there is only one winner of the top honors this week and that goes to Mike White, who played one of the best games at QB I can remember from a Jet in a long time. As mentioned above he is the first Jets QB to throw for over 400 yards since Vinny T and thay’s special.
Mike White doesn't wow you with his physical attributes but he often makes the right read and he delivers the ball in time to give his receivers a chance to make a play. In that regard, he’s very similar to my favorite Jets QB of all time Chad Pennington.
White finished his first career start with a stay line of 37/45 for 405 yards and 3 touchdowns to go with 2 interceptions which were rather u lucky. Have yourself a day young man. Coach Saleh couldn’t hide the smile in his post-game conference when he said that Mike White will be starting on Thursday against the Colts.
The underrated play of the game…
🏈 With the Jets leading by 7 with just under 4 minutes to go in the first quarter, Mike Whites pass which was intended for Crowder is deflected and intercepted by Jessie Bates. It looks like it’s going back for a pick-6 only for Elijah Moore to come flying down the field and make a tackle at the 1.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Moore ran 63 yards to make that tackle.
🗨️Who said what 💬
Where else can we start but Mike White:
"I have an immense amount of faith in myself and I think I can go out there and execute the offense and move the offense. Today just was an affirmation for it"
"Mike [LaFleur] came to me on Saturday, and called me, and said he was going to 'let it rip' to start the game... I think the decision to cut it loose early kind of caught them off guard"
Coach Saleh on Whites performance:
"Mike [White] is fantastic. He's poised, he's showed it all throughout camp, all throughout OTAs, that he deserves to be one of those guys and obviously he showed it today"
Coach Saleh on the offense in general:
"The offense was outstanding. A lot of opportunities, moved the ball on a really, really, really good defense, created explosive plays... It was awesome"
Ty Johnson on Mike White:
“I believe 100% in Mike White. The whole team does… We got a guy who came in and played his ass off… He’s a stud, come on now, that’s Mike White”
“It’s Mike F-ing White. He’s a dog. He’s an animal. He’s a savage. … I told him before the game, ‘you’re a gunslinger, so let’s ride.”
CJ Mosley on the team win.
"Kudos to our guys, to our coaches, to Mike White. Coming in, stepping up, being ready, being prepared"
"There was a lot of times in that game where it could've went a different way... Today we showed what winning football looks like"
It Always Matters
The Perfect End 🎥
There’s only one way to end this newsletter today and that's with Coach Saleh
Don’t forget to head over and subscribe to the Jets UK Podcast, multiple episodes each week breaking down your New York Jets. The latest episode was released this morning, celebrating yesterday’s victory.