Bengals will face Mike White in Week 8

The New York Jets have announced that Mike White will be the starting QB in Week 8 when they host the Cincinnati Bengals. Josh Johnson will be elevated from the practice squad to be White’s backup.

As for the newly-acquired Joe Flacco, he won’t even show up until Friday, so it appears there’s little-to-no chance the Bengals face the former AFC North QB.

White currently has a 44.7 Pro Football Focus grade.

On Sunday, the Bengals were about as good defensively as you’ll ever see an NFL team be against Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.

The 2019 NFL MVP finished Sunday with 257 passing yards, 88 rushing yards and one total touchdown with five sacks taken. His 48.4 completion percentage was just the fourth time in 44 regular-season starts he completed less than 50% of his passes, while the five sacks taken was tied for the most he’s ever had in one game.

If the Bengals defense has that kind of performance in Week 8 vs. the New York Jets, expect another blowout to happen in favor of the road team.

The Jets have been bad enough as it is, but things are getting worse now that top-five pick and starting QB Zach Wilson is out for several weeks with a PCL injury, which means backup Mike White will likely start vs. Cincinnati.

When Wilson went down Sunday vs. the New England Patriots, White came in and immediately threw a touchdown pass, his first career regular-season pass.

The fast start didn’t last, as White struggled the rest of the way while finishing 20/32 passing with two interceptions and one sack taken.

The 26-year-old White starred at Western Kentucky in college before being a fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. The following year, White was signed to the Jets’ practice squad after Dallas opted not to do the same, and he’s been with the Jets in some capacity ever since.

If for whatever reason New York opts to go in a different direction, veteran Josh Johnson is sitting on the practice squad. Johnson, an NFL journeyman since 2008, actually played with the Bengals as Andy Dalton’s backup in 2013 and has eight career starts under his belt (33 total games played).

Johnson hasn’t started a game since 2018 with the Washington Football Team (went 1-2 in three starts). He’s 1-7 in his career as a starter.

Again, I would expect White to start if for no other reason than he’s still young (26) and may have a little more room to develop into a quality backup, while the 35-year-old Johnson is nearing the end of his pro career.

Regardless, this is a game the Bengals should dominate in and make life miserable for whoever lines up at QB. After seven games, this defense has established a high standard for itself that’s helped put this team in prime position to make the NFL playoffs.