After two poor outings by Zach Wilson, the Jets were happy to have quarterback Mike White back for Sunday’s game in Seattle but it didn’t take long for those good feelings to go away.
White was intercepted by safety Quandre Diggs on a throw into coverage to end the first Jets possession of the game and he was unable to lead the team to a touchdown all afternoon. He did turn the ball over twice more in a 23-6 loss that eliminated the Jets from playoff contention.
After the game, White was asked if he was hampered by the fractured ribs that kept him out the last two weeks.
“I was cleared to play by the doctors. . . . The guys in the locker room deserve a certain standard,” White said, via the team’s website. “I knew what I was signing up for. I practiced all week, I don’t think — there’s a standard they deserve, and I didn’t play to that standard today.”
The Jets have lost six of their last seven games and substandard quarterback play stands out as the biggest reason why a season that once held promise is ending the same way as every other season since they advanced to the AFC title game after the 2010 season. The league’s longest playoff drought continues and finding a quarterback able to at least meet the standard will have to be a priority for the offseason.