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With Zach Wilson sidelined, Jets score first first-quarter touchdown of season on perfect drive by Mike White

With Zach Wilson at quarterback, the New York Jets failed to score points of any kind in the first quarter of any game this season.

Insert Mike White. The fourth-year pro who made his first appearance in an NFL game when Wilson suffered a knee injury in Week 7 got his first start on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was perfect on the Jets' opening drive. And New York got on the board in the first quarter for the first time this season when Michael Carter took a toss eight yards to the end zone to give the Jets an early 7-0 lead.

Carter's touchdown culminated a 10-play, 75-yard drive that saw White connect on 7-of-7 pass attempts for 65 yards. Not bad for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft who didn't see live NFL action until last week.

New York Jets quarterback Mike White warms-up before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Mike White was perfect on the first drive of the first start of his NFL career. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Should Wilson be worried? Of course not. Not yet, at least. Wilson got off to a brutal start to his NFL career, completing just 57.5% of his passes with four touchdowns and nine interceptions in a 1-5 Jets start. But the No. 2 pick in April's draft will get his job back as soon as he's recovered from the sprained PCL that's expected to sideline him 2-4 weeks.

Wilson followed up his perfect start with interceptions on each of the Jets' next two possessions. But he bounced back for a 405-yard passing effort with three touchdowns and two interceptions as the Jets stunned the Bengals, 34-31.