Search for spark with shake-up under center

The Jets’ quarterback situation this week was a case of Zach and White — as in the team moving from Zach Wilson to Mike White as starting quarterback for the game Sunday against the Bears.

After a brutal loss to the Patriots last week during which Wilson led the offense to 103 total yards, head coach Robert Saleh made the switch to White to face the Bears. The Jets (6-4) are still in the playoff hunt, and they must beat the Bears (3-8) to strengthen their postseason bid.

White will be returning a year removed from his brief run as the starter in 2021 — when he lit up Bengals for 405 yards, then injured his elbow after a strong start against the Colts and finally had a poor performance, with four interceptions, against the Bills. White now will get another chance, and he said the experience from last year will be beneficial.

“It does help,” White said. “The experience of getting game reps in and getting a week, couple weeks as a starter knowing how those things work and I think it helps too, stepping into the huddle, the guys in the huddle know that I have that experience and can respect that.”

White was Joe Flacco’s backup early this season when Wilson was hurt. He then became the No. 3 quarterback for a few weeks before being elevated to Wilson’s backup a month ago. Now, he is the starter, trying to jump-start an offense that gained just 2 yards in the second half last week. White will get to do it against a struggling Bears team that has lost four straight and six out of seven.

“[White] prepares every day like he’s the next man up, which he is in this case,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said. “He’s a professional in every sense of the word, and as much as he’s grown, you naturally will grow because of the way he attacks every day. He has another year under his belt within the system, and he has another year under his belt as an NFL football player to be able to see all these defenses. While it hasn’t happened in a game setting, he’s had these practices, he’s been in meeting rooms, and like I said, the best players in the world are the ones who can play without thought. So, he has another year under his belt with regard to the mental aspect of it. Now, he just has to attack the game on Sunday.”