Following a disastrous loss against the New England Patriots in Week 11, the New York Jets found themselves embarrassed and needed significant change. However, with quarterback Mike White under center in Week 12, the Jets emerged victorious over the Chicago Bears by a score of 31-10 on Sunday. Following the game, Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner threw shade in the direction of recently-benched quarterback Zach Wilson, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic.

Per Rosenblatt, Gardner said the defense chatted on the sideline during the Jets' first drive of the day about how it was the first time they were “able to chill a little bit longer” at the beginning of a game, in reference to the inefficiencies displayed during Wilson's time as the starting quarterback.

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For context, the Jets entered Sunday with the NFL's fourth-worst offense in average yards per drive (26.6) and second-worst average time per drive (2:27), according to Pro Football Reference. Much of the blame rested on the shoulders of Wilson, whose poor play this season and even worse handling of post-game interviews following Week 11's loss led to his benching. Mike White threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's win over the Bears in Wilson's place and carried the Jets' offense to what is arguably their best collective performance of the season.

With the win over the Bears, the Jets improved their record to 7-3 in the 2022 NFL season and find themselves in much better spirits than they had been in recent weeks. It will be intriguing to see if Sauce Gardner and the Jets can keep this momentum going as they prepare to face off against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13 next Sunday.