Orchard Park, N.Y. (Audacy Sports/WGR 550) - Mike White is made different.
The New York Jets quarterback was forced to leave Sunday’s game twice against the Buffalo Bills after taking a a pair of hard hits at the hands of the Buffalo defense.
In the second quarter, White took his first big hit from defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who made a clean hit on the Jets quarterback after letting go of the football. White remained down on the field for a moment before walking off the field under his own power. He missed a pair of plays before re-entering the game.
Then in the third quarter, White was drilled again with another clean hit from linebacker Matt Milano, who launched into his mid-section like a missile and took him into the ground just after he fired off a pass.
White stayed on the ground for some time before getting up and gingerly walking off the field. He left the game to be further evaluated in the locker room and his return was deemed questionable to return with a ribs injury.
Sure enough, White was back on the field early in the fourth quarter.
White, who had been under significant pressure all day from the Bills, has been a pleasant surprise for the Jets since taking over for Zach Wilson, and had already engineered an impressive touchdown drive to tie the game up at 7-7 to start the second half.
Backup Joe Flacco came into the game in relief of White, and ended up fumbling on his first play in during the third quarter. That led to a Bills field goal to go up 17-7.
The Bills were able to tack on another field goal before White returned to the game.
After the loss, Jets head coach Robert Saleh addressed the media, saying White was heading to a local hospital as a precautionary measure.
At 7-6, the Jets will look to continue to stay in the AFC playoff race when they return to MetLife Stadium to host the surging Detroit Lions next Sunday.
As for the Bills, at 10-3, they will next play host to the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium in a potential battle for AFC East supremacy.
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