ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Jets quarterback Mike White took a beating on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills and had to leave the game because of it.
The New York QB left the Jets’ 20-12 loss with 4:45 to go in the third quarter after taking a brutal hit from Matt Milano that sent him to the ground. White was down on the field for an extended period of time while the Jets’ training staff looked at him.
He eventually was able to walk off the field, but quickly made his way to the team locker room. The Jets announced after the third quarter that White had suffered a rib injury and was questionable to return, but willed his way back out onto the field at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Following the loss, Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh reported, White was sent to a local hospital for precautionary reasons.
“He was brought in to be evaluated,” Saleh said about the decision to bring him back in. “X-rays, all that stuff. everything checked out good. He felt good and wanted to come back in.”
White was expected to be able to return to the team in time for their flight back to New York and Saleh said White would be the Jets’ quarterback next week barring any issues.
Saleh and company were impressed by White’s ability to keep coming back to the game despite being hit hard on several occasions.
“I knew he was tough,” Duane Brown said about White. “Again he took some shots and I know it was hurting, but he didn’t want to be out of the game. He wanted to finish. That’s major heart, toughness. He’s a dog. I mean, that’s the bottom line. But we got to do a better job of protecting him.”
It had been the second vicious hit that a Bills player had laid on White in the game and he had briefly left the game in the second quarter after Ed Oliver took him down.
Joe Flacco entered the game in each instance and fumbled the ball on the play after White’s second time having to leave the game. White completed 27 of 43 pass attempts for 268 yards on the day.
