Zach Wilson

Team doctors are not clearing quarterback Mike White for contact due to his fractured ribs, meaning Zach Wilson will get the start against the Lions.

"Of course, I have all the confidence in the world -- I think that's how it should be -- but you have to be able to prove that." Star defensive tackle [Quinnen Williams](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4040982/quinnen-williams) (calf) missed practice for the third straight day, but the Jets didn't declare him out, holding out hope he can play. After the game, he created a firestorm by refusing to take any accountability for a poor offensive outing. "I definitely believe in myself," Wilson said Wednesday when it was announced that he was elevated to No. White had said repeatedly throughout the week that he felt fine and was preparing to play. The Jets had rallied around White in his three starts. They went 1-2 and averaged only 22 points per game, but he passed for 952 yards and was able to get every player involved. "I'm just going to go out there and have fun." "The worst has already happened for me, personally, right?" He was elevated this week to QB2, replacing There might have been some gamesmanship at play, keeping the Lions (6-7) in the dark as long as possible. He finished the game before undergoing a precautionary CT scan at a Buffalo-area hospital and then flying home with the team.

Jets Doctors Did Not Clear Mike White (Rib) for Contact; 50/50 Chance Quinnen Williams Plays Sunday.

"Every game is on the line, every play is on the line, every decision is on the line. "He is a very quick and savvy receiver," Gardner said. Gardner was born and raised in Detroit and will have family and friends in East Rutherford for the game. Brown in Nike Football's The Opening Regionals and still holds the second-year wideout in high regard. The USC product is 12th in the NFL with 898 yards receiving and fifth with 82 receptions. "D-linemen don't need to practice to be ready for a gameday. But this is one of those deals where we got to do what's best for the player and protect the player from the player." "He just has to focus on the moment," Saleh said of Wilson. "He's gotten the vast majority of the first-team reps. 2 was made last Friday leading up to the Bills game. That opinion will not change, and it's gotten to the point where we could drag this out to Sunday. "Mike White was an absolute warrior and has been doing everything he could this week to try to find another opinion to get him onto the football field to find somebody who will clear him for contact," Saleh said.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell praises New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh's toughness and adversity ahead of Week 15 matchup.

Jets coach Robert Saleh said team doctors did not clear White to play on Sunday.

[Garrett Wilson](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/garrett-wilson-MVKA2Tjc5jrKX2Eo/) and [Elijah Moore](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/elijah-moore-XpsXzVg2gNrAz90U/), who had openly expressed some frustration with Wilson this season. The Jets will play the [Jaguars](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/jaguars/) on Thursday next week only a few days after the Lions game, so it’s unclear if Wilson is locked in as the starter for both games or just this one. 20, when the Jets only gained two yards of offense in the second half. [Chicago Bears](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/bears/) and opted to start White. This will be the first time Wilson has played since his disastrous performance against the Patriots on Nov. The No.

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson -- and not Mike White -- will be under center to start Sunday's game against the visiting Detroit Lions in East ...

2 quarterback, it was with the understanding that there's a strong possibility that he was going to play, and to plan accordingly. "When he was elevated to the No. White, 27, has thrown for 952 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions in his three starts. "Mike White, who is an absolute warrior, has been doing everything he could this week to find another opinion to get him onto the football field to find somebody who would clear him for contact. But he struggled and was dropped to the No. "Sunday after the game, obviously it was well-documented (White) was taken to the hospital to get X-rays and all that stuff, and all that stuff cleared and he got on the plane and everything was checked out fine," Saleh said.

The Detroit Lions' defense might be bad overall, but its stylistic tendencies are ideal for shutting down NY Jets QB Zach Wilson.

Much of Wilson’s struggles against man coverage and Cover 1 have come against the Patriots, who deploy very similar coverage splits to the Lions. Wilson needs to prove he can succeed against a less formidable version of the same kind of defense that has caused his greatest nightmares. This is a good opportunity for Wilson to start making progress toward overcoming one of his greatest weaknesses. Wilson has a lot of trouble against Cover 1. [Zach Wilson](https://jetsxfactor.com/tag/zach-wilson) will start at quarterback for the [New York Jets](https://jetsxfactor.com/jet-x-membership) against the Detroit Lions this week. Garrett is one of the NFL’s best man-coverage beaters, catching 25-of-37 targets for 344 yards against man coverage this season. We will learn a lot about Zach Wilson on Sunday. However, with no Davis, the Lions will feel plenty comfortable about keying in on Garrett, forcing Zach to focus on targeting other players who are not nearly as proficient as Garrett at winning in man-to-man situations. His total of 25 receptions against man coverage ranks third-best among all wide receivers. On the surface, this seems like the perfect game for Wilson to return. [Corey Davis](https://jetsxfactor.com/tag/corey-davis) (concussion). Detroit is built to exploit this disparity in Wilson’s game.

If this all works out, Zach Wilson will look back at the past three weeks as the best thing that happened to him since he was drafted No.

We’ve got all the faith in him, but he’s really just got to focus on Sunday and Sunday alone.’’ Wilson said all the right things on Friday, going out of his way to convey how much he wants to do well for his teammates. Wilson spoke about “just finding the fun in football’’ for himself again. If this all works out, the button Jets head coach Robert Saleh boldly pushed when he benched Wilson on Nov. And right now, Wilson is back as the Jets starting quarterback until further notice. “I’m ready to go,’’ Wilson vowed.

It's hard to blame Saleh for referencing a Wilson game from so long ago — the Jets quarterback hasn't had a performance quite like that in the NFL. By most ...

I’m going to play the best that I can and put this team in position that I feel is best for the team.” Wilson said he’s not focused on the “gravity” of this game, and what it means for their playoff hopes. “I’ve just focused on enjoying football again, going back to the basics and the fundamentals of being an efficient quarterback, and having those scout team reps were beneficial for me,” Wilson said Friday. The Jets coach said the team could’ve taken it up until game time Sunday but instead opted to name Wilson the starter Friday to protect White “from himself.” The Jets have a quick turnaround to their next game on Dec. “I think from when he started this whole process to now you can see he’s not only gotten better but he’s had more fun, he’s started to clear his mind more and be him and let it rip and play loose,” White said. “It is the right decision and they all explained the situation to me and I agree — it’s just frustrating.” Those tests didn’t indicate any fractures, so White was cleared to return and nearly rallied the Jets to a come-from-behind win — earning the respect of his teammates in the process, playing through pain. After a couple of brutal performances against the [Patriots](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/patriots/), the Jets opted for a factory reset. By most metrics, Wilson is off to one of the worst-ever starts to a career for a quarterback drafted in the first round. In two crucial losses to the Patriots, his performance — 46 percent completions, two touchdowns, three interceptions — was especially costly for a 7-6 Jets team It’s hard to blame Saleh for referencing a Wilson game from so long ago — the Jets quarterback hasn’t had a performance quite like that in the NFL. [Zach Wilson](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/zach-wilson-NMsbhTzlCqTO76ld/) [stood on a blue field in Idaho](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jznDy3yO_W0), wearing a “CHAMPIONS” hat, smiling, laughing.

Catch up on all the New York Jets news heading into Sunday's matchup with the Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium.

[Aidan Hutchinson](https://www.detroitlions.com/team/players-roster/aidan-hutchinson/) (7), linebacker [James Houston](https://www.detroitlions.com/team/players-roster/james-houston/) (4), and linebacker [Malcolm Rodriguez](https://www.detroitlions.com/team/players-roster/malcolm-rodriguez/) (1). [READ MORE](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/sauce-gardner-reflects-on-awards-season-with-equal-parts-confidence-humility) [READ MORE](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/oc-mike-lafleur-on-wr-elijah-moore-he-s-in-a-great-place) [READ MORE](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/bart-scott-essentially-the-playoffs-start-now-for-the-jets) Head coach Robert Saleh believes that the team "controls their own destiny" … [READ MORE](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/qb-zach-wilson-will-start-vs-the-lions) Williams is slowly being implemented into the offense, but he has already made his presence known. And Jets rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner has made his impact felt by shutting down receivers. Despite being cleared to practice in limited fashion this week, White has not been cleared for game action. Two weeks in a row, the Jets game came down to the final possession. This week, the Lions' offense will go up against the third ranked defense in the NFL. The Lions took the lead and never gave it back.

Here is what NY Jets QB Zach Wilson must do to thrive against a Detroit Lions defense that is built to shut him down.

A safe, quick-passing attack is not the correct way to attack this defense. Some may read the suggestions I have laid out in this article and quiver at the idea of Wilson playing an aggressive brand of football, fearing it will lead to disastrous turnovers. When not taking deep shots, Wilson should aim to carve up the Lions’ Cover 1 defense by throwing intermediate passes to the outside. They have been even more dominant in this area recently, ranking first in both categories over their 5-1 run since Week 9 (allowing a 64.3 passer rating and -0.30 EPA per attempt). Detroit’s defense has allowed 25 completions on deep passes (20+ air yards), tied for the third-most in the NFL. His team’s back is against the wall. His back is against the wall. This is what most teams have done to Wilson this year. Even teams that are not typically a heavy-man coverage defense or heavy-single high defense have shifted to playing that way when facing Wilson. The Lions will frequently play one high safety with man coverage on the outside, telling Zach, “Go ahead and try to beat us, because we don’t think you can.” In many ways, the Lions’ defensive scheme reminds you of the New England Patriots, Wilson’s greatest nemesis. While Detroit is a low-ranked defense overall, its schematic tendencies are ideal for exploiting Wilson’s weaknesses.

Zach White will start in place of the injured Mike White on Sunday for the New York Jets when they host the Detroit Lions.

Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 4 million WordPress sites. Generated by Wordfence at Sun, 18 Dec 2022 0:00:52 GMT. If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site, please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send".