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Are Jets making a mistake by sticking with Joe Flacco?
New York Jets quarterback Joe Flacco. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Are Jets making a mistake by sticking with Joe Flacco?

ESPN's Rich Cimini reported Wednesday that Joe Flacco will remain the Jets starting quarterback, a day after head coach Robert Saleh left the door open for a change. After a forgettable performance in Week 1, is that the right decision?

Some fans have been clamoring for Mike White, who became a folk hero after a 405-yard display in an upset win over the Bengals last season but lost all momentum with a four-interception game two weeks later. 

While neither quarterback is the most inspiring option with Zach Wilson still working his way back from a right knee injury, the numbers are starting to become impossible to ignore for Flacco. Wilson will miss at least two more games.

Flacco, 37, is 2-15 in his past 17 starts and winless since he was with the Broncos in 2019. He threw for 307 yards in Sunday's loss to the Ravens, but that comes with a caveat: He attempted 59 passes and averaged only 5.2 yards per attempt, 29th among all starting quarterbacks in Week 1. 

Flacco also threw an interception, was sacked three times and was under pressure all game. Any Jets quarterback would have been pressured by the Ravens, but Flacco has little mobility. 

White was a mixed bag last season, but there's a case to be made that one rough game against an AFC contender shouldn't erase any hope he can be a serviceable fill-in for Wilson. A quarterback whose play ranges from extreme highs to extreme lows might be more valuable for this Jets team than a quarterback who hasn't won a game in three years and is at the end of his career. 

For now, Flacco will face the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday. If it's more of the same for the Jets, could we see White get another chance at the Bengals in Week 3?

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