Joe Flacco to start season finale for Jets

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The Jets’ quarterback situation was so dire, and their faith in Zach Wilson was so flimsy, that they opted to play Mike White with five broken ribs last Sunday in Seattle. The result was a loss to the Seahawks that officially ended their playoff hopes.

White, who revealed the diagnosis on Friday after he officially was ruled out in favor of Joe Flacco this weekend, said it was no excuse for his performance. The impending free agent went 23-for-46 passing for 240 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

It does, however, paint the portrait of a team so thoroughly hamstrung by long-standing organizational missteps that it made White, their Week 1 backup, seem like nothing short of a savior. Until his body gave out, that is.

White was injured against the Bills on Dec. 11 and missed two games before his ill-fated return.

“I’m not going to lean on that as an excuse,” he said, adding that doctors said one of the broken ribs was actually an older injury. “I never hesitated at [any] point [to play last week]. Doctors cleared me. They’re way smarter at that type of stuff than I am, especially at the time when we were in a real playoff hunt. I was going to go out there no matter what.”

And then there’s Flacco, who will turn 38 in a little more than a week.

The 15-year veteran will play in his fifth game (fourth start) of the season in Sunday’s season finale against the Dolphins. If he throws even a single touchdown pass, he’ll have six for the season, matching Wilson’s production in nine games.

Sunday’s contest could be the last of Flacco’s career, though he hasn’t looked that far ahead, he said. Coach Robert Saleh said he wouldn’t mind having Flacco back to mentor Wilson.

Flacco will line up behind the most makeshift of offensive lines. Tackles Duane Brown (shoulder) and George Fant (knee) will be out, as will guard Nate Herbig (calf), Saleh said.

Wilson will be Flacco’s backup on Sunday, and it appears there wasn’t too much discussion about having him start.

“I want to stay firm with [Wilson] and make sure that he gets to attack this offseason and I just want to get him to the offseason so we can start and attack the plan that we’ve been building,” Saleh said. “Putting him out there right now, I just don’t — it’s not going to do him any good, it’s not going to do anyone any good. For him, for Zach, it’s all about ’23.”

Given the state of the offensive line, it also would have put Wilson in a position to fail. When asked who is left to protect Flacco, Saleh had to dig deep.

“We got a bunch of fighters, is what we got,” he said. “It’s going to be good. It’s going to be an opportunity for [Cedric] Ogbuehi. We’ve got [Mike] Remmers, [Dan] Feeney has been looking for an opportunity. So there’s guys who are looking for that opportunity, and I’m sure they’re very excited about it.”

Ogbuehi has played 231 offensive snaps in six games at tackle this season. Remmers, a tackle, has played six offensive snaps. Feeney, a guard, has played 55.

On defense, cornerback Brandin Echols (quadriceps) and safety Lamarcus Joyner (hip) also won’t suit up.

Saleh said he doesn’t regret playing White last week. The quarterback subsequently went through a walk-through on Wednesday. By Thursday, it was abundantly clear that he wouldn’t be OK to play, Saleh said.

“He’s just in a lot of pain,” said Saleh, adding that White aggravated his injury when he was sacked on a Hail Mary pass right before the end of the first half in Seattle.

Doctors told White that the ribs simply need time to heal on their own.

White believes he’s earned the shot to be a true starting quarterback, and his preference is that it happen with the Jets.

“I do have an immense amount of confidence in myself and I do view myself as a starter in this league,” he said. “Now whether that happens here or not, we’ll wait and see, that’s not up to me . . . Whatever happens happens, but I know that I do enjoy it here and I enjoy playing with these guys in this locker room, and I would love to be back.”

He’s got five broken ribs to show it.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.