The Jets inactives are: S Blake Countess, CB Nate Hairston, G Tom Compton, RB Kenneth Dixon, WR Demaryius Thomas, RB Josh Adams and S Bennett Jackson. Analysis: Jamal Adams, Quinnen Williams, Brian Poole and Bilal Powell are back from injuries.
Those critical of coach Adam Gase might not want to hear this, but the Jets' young QB has made solid strides over the second half of the season.
Projecting the Jets' inactives for tomorrow against the Steelers: WR Demaryius Thomas, RG Tom Compton, RB Kenneth Dixon, S Bennett Jackson, S Blake Countess, LB Frankie Luvu and CB Maurice Canady. Analysis: RG Conor McDermott is expected to make his starting debut, marking the eighth different OL combination. S Jamal Adams, DT Quinnen Williams and RB Bilal Powell will be active.
Jets rookie DT Quinnen Williams, who turns 22 today, returns tomorrow from a neck injury and hopes to finish with two strong games. He acknowledges this has been a quiet year. "It's definitely important to me to finish strong because I haven't had the season I wanted to have," he said. Williams was having his best game when he got hurt two weeks ago against the Dolphins.
Jets assistant Hines Ward, a former Steelers great, will face his former team Sunday. Ward says he wants a Gatorade shower if the Jets win. He says this is the first time in his career he's rooting against the Steelers.
Notes from Jets' final injury report: DOUBTFUL — RG Tom Compton and WR Demaryius Thomas. QUESTIONABLE — S Jamal Adams, RB Bilal Powell, WR Robby Anderson, DT Quinnen Williams and CB Brian Poole. Analysis: All those listed as questionable are expected to play. Look for Conor McDermott and Vyncint Smith to start for Compton and Thomas, respectively.
It's a meaningless game for the Jets, but offensive assistant Hines Ward wants a championship-like celebration if they defeat his former team, the Steelers.
Jets offensive assistant Hines Ward, the former Steelers great who will face his former team Sunday, offered high praise for QB Sam Darnold. "He reminds me a lot of Ben Roethlisberger," Ward said. "When I first came into the league, we had a young kid coming in full of talent. You want to see his progression grow as a quarterback, and he's done that. You see tons of improvement. ... Sam is gonna be great. He's gonna be a good one."
Jets DC Gregg Williams called today the best Friday practice of the season. He said the defense "has a chip on their shoulders" after getting shredded by QB Lamar Jackson. Interesting side note: Last Friday, the day after the Baltimore debacle, the players held a meeting on their day off.
Half-empty stadiums, clogged urinals and paper-bag masks are everywhere you look on the NFL Tour of Sadness, and Sunday's Bengals-Dolphins game will be no exception. But the toll these seasons take on fans and players runs much deeper.
Le'Veon Bell expects a 50-50 mix of Jets and Steelers fans at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, saying Thursday that "half will be happy to see me and still love me. The other half will hate me, despise me," but, "I'm going to show love, regardless."
Jets offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains marveled at Sam Darnold's on-the-run, tight-window TD pass to Jamison Crowder against the Ravens: "Mom, dad and God gave him a lot of gifts. There's no defense for a perfect ball." Darnold made one bad throw in the game, his INT in the two-minute still at the end of the first half. "Bad decision," Loggains said.
Key notes from Jets injury report: DID NOT PRACTICE — WR Robby Anderson (illness), RG Tom Compton (calf), WR Demaryius Thomas (hamstring/knee); LIMITED — S Jamal Adams (ankle), RB Bilal Powell (ankle) and DT Quinnen Williams (neck). Analysis: Anderson was sent home by the trainers.
Former Jets great Winston Hill, who protected Joe Namath's blindside, is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame centennial class. Hill is one of 20 finalists; 10 will be chosen for the Hall. Hill, a member of the Jets' Ring of Honor, made eight Pro Bowls from 1964 to 1973. Unfortunately, former DL Joe Klecko was not named a finalist. He belongs in the Hall, but he got squeezed by voting politics and a back-log of deserving candidates.
Get the latest scoop from inside NFL locker rooms on who's in and who's out this weekend.
The Jets have signed former Ravens RB Kenneth Dixon to fill a vacancy on their 53-man roster. The injury-plagued Dixon, who has 715 rushing yards and four TDs, was with Baltimore in the preseason before fracturing a knee. He hasn't played this season.
Key notes from Jets injury report: DID NOT PRACTICE — WR Demaryius Thomas (hamstring/knee), RG Tom Compton (calf); LIMITED— S Jamal Adams (ankle), CB Arthur Maulet (calf), CB Brian Poole (concussion), RB Bilal Powell (ankle) and DT Quinnen Williams (neck). Analysis: The "limited" players returned to practice. OMG, the Jets are getting healthy (with the players they have left).
S Jamal Adams, who missed the last two games with a sprained ankle, said his chances of returning Sunday are "very high." He said he was in "a real low place" the last two weeks, but he sounded excited about the last two games. He has 6.5 sacks, 1.5 shy of the single-season NFL record for a defensive back (Adrian Wilson, Arizona). Said Adams: "I'm not going to tie, I'm going to break it. No doubt."
Coach Adam Gase was effusive in his praise for S Jamal Adams, who made his second Pro Bowl. He said Adams has played consistently well as any player he's ever coached. "Week in, week out, you never see a dip," he said. "It's just always elite level." Adams, out the last two games with an ankle injury, will return to practice today. That bodes well for his chances of playing Sunday against the Steelers.
Led by Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens secured the most spots in the NFL's annual all-star game with 12.
Jamal Adams' second Pro Bowl selection comes as no surprise; he's one of the top strong safeties in the league. No other player on the Jets warranted consideration, which tells you everything about the state of the roster and the inability to maximize the few talented players they do have. They have a long, long way to go.
The Jets placed rookie RT Chuma Edoga (knee) and rookie WR Jeff Smith (ankle) on IR. Edoga, a third-round pick, started eight games. He allowed seven sacks, tied for second-most on the team, and has the lowest pass-block win rate among Jets OLM, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Which teams are ready to change their culture, and which franchises are going full speed ahead as contenders. We break down (and rank) all 32.
ESPN's Rich Cimini unveils his all-decade team and former HC Rex Ryan pulls no punches in his assessment of Adam Gase.
| TEAM | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England | 12 | 3 | 0 | .800 | 396 | 198 |
| Buffalo | 10 | 5 | 0 | .667 | 308 | 246 |
| New York | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 247 | 343 |
| Miami | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 241 | 435 |
| RD(PK) | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1(3) | Quinnen Williams | DT | Alabama |
| 3(4) | Jachai Polite | DE | Florida |
| 3(28) | Chuma Edoga | OT | USC |
| 4(19) | Trevon Wesco | TE | West Virginia |
| 5(19) | Blake Cashman | ILB | Minnesota |
| 6(23) | Blessuan Austin | CB | Rutgers |
