When the schedule came out, Sunday’s game between the Jets and the Bears looked like a battle between two of the top quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft. But No. 2 pick Zach Wilson and No. 11 pick Justin Fields will be watching from the sideline at MetLife Stadium.
The Jets benched the struggling Wilson on Wednesday and Fields was ruled inactive before today’s game as he deals with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.
So that means it will be a battle of the backups: Mike White vs. Trevor Siemian.
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Fields has been playing at an extremely high level, especially as a runner, so this is a huge break for the Jets.
But the Jets will be without one of their key offensive players: running back James Robinson was a surprise inactive after not being listed on the injury report. That means Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight (who is active for this game) are likely to get the bulk of the reps along with Ty Johnson.
Without Fields, there’s little reason to believe that Chicago’s offense can be dynamic.
The way the Jets defense is playing, they should be able to contain the Bears attack – Siemian, who started a game for the Jets in 2019 and suffered a gruesome ankle injury on this field, started four games for the Saints last year and threw 11 touchdowns and three interceptions but lost all four.
The Bears defense is one of the worst in the NFL, so that makes the bar even easier for White to clear as the Jets’ backup quarterback. If the Jets can score two touchdowns it should be enough to win the game. And it certainly won’t be difficult to improve on their last offensive performace: they failed to score a touchdown against the Patriots last week and they produced just two (two!) yards of total offense.
The Jets are getting back a key weapon this week: wide receiver Corey Davis who has missed the last three games with a knee injury.
The Jets could also be getting some help on the offensive line after they activated right tackle Max Mitchell off injured reserve Saturday. Mitchell missed the last six games with a knee injury after being the surprise starter for the first four games of the season because of injury.
Nate Herbig, who missed last week with a shin injury is also likely to play.
Denzel Mims is also active with Davis returning. Jets coach Robert Saleh said Mims had earned a spot in the rotation in recent weeks; wide receiver Jeff Smith was inactive with Mims getting the nod.
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Here is the full list of inactive players for the Jets:
QB Zach Wilson, RB James Robinson, TE Kenny Yeboah, DT Sheldon Rankins, WR Jeff Smith, CB Bryce Hall, S Tony Adams.
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Andy Vasquez may be reached at avasquez@njadvancemedia.com.
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