Jets Country

Mike White Leads Jets to First Touchdown in First Quarter This Season

In the first drive of his first career start, Mike White was 7-for-7 for 65 yards.

Max Goodman

For the first time in 2021, the New York Jets have scored in the first quarter.

Led by backup quarterback Mike White—who is making his first career start on Sunday—New York marched down the field, driving 75 yards on 10 plays after the opening kickoff.

After White went 7-for-7 on the drive, good for 65 yards through the air, running back Michael Carter punctuated the scoring drive with an eight-yard touchdown run, sending fans at MetLife Stadium into a frenzy.

New York had been outscored 44-0 in the first quarter through the first six games of the season. Their slow starts have been heavily documented, one of the main reasons why this team has gotten off to a 1-5 start this season.

Gang Green went three-and-out on their first drive last week in what turned out to be a historic blowout loss in New England. That was after a bye week with plenty of time to prepare what plays they would call in their first shot on offense.

Sunday against Cincinnati was a different story. The Jets roared out of the gates from their very first play, riding a nine-yard completion from White to Carter to set up second and short. 

From there, the Jets gathered plenty of momentum, quickly setting up shop in the red zone as White spread the love with several short passes. Defensive pass interference made up for a false start, allowing Carter to scamper in eight yards on a pitch to the left moments later.

White ended up starting 11-for-11 before throwing an interception to Jessie Bates III. The pick was returned down to the one yard line, but New York's defense stopped the Bengals on four straight plays, turning the ball over on downs with a huge goal line stand.

The quarterback added another interception before the first quarter was over, but the Jets ended the opening frame with a 7-0 lead.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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