The New York Jets are trending downward. Following a loss to the Buffalo Bills, injuries are hitting the roster hard and concern is growing that a bounce-back might be out of the question. The Jets are still in the running and could become playoff contenders once again, but they have many issues to fix and players to replace on the roster.
The injury list is growing for the Jets. According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, Ryan Fitzpatrick underwent surgery to fix a tendon in his non-throwing hand. He is not expected to miss any games as a result of the injury, but there is still a chance that he could be held out in Week 11. Eric Decker is dealing with a shoulder injury that was suffered in the Week 10 loss. The wide receiver is receiving treatment on the injury and head coach Todd Bowles said he was questionable at best for the next game. Brandon Marshall is also dealing with injuries to his ankle and toe, but is expected to play through it.
The biggest concern for New York could be the injury to Zac Stacy. According to Cimini, Stacy is out for the season following a fractured ankle. The backup running back went down in the loss to the Bills and is now done for the year, leaving a huge hole in the run game. The ground work has been the saving grace for the Jets all season. Recently, Chris Ivory has hit a wall and Stacy has seen more work. His absence puts pressure on Stevan Ridley, but the Jets might have to make a roster addition for help. Pierre Thomas, Robert Turbin or Stevan Jackson are all available on the open market for the Jets to take a look at. Adding one of them over Ridley could be the favored move to help getting Ivory running well again.
With injuries hitting hard, the Jets need more from their depth players. Ridley has been a disappointment this season as he continues to deal from a knee injury. Jeremy Kerley is beginning to improve while Devin Smith has been a disappointment as well. The rookie receiver made costly mistakes in the loss to the Bills as Bowles stressed patience for the receiver moving forward.
"He's struggled integrating into the whole system," offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said, via the New York Post. "He did certain things in college that were in their system, and getting involved in the whole system [with the Jets] - it's been a longer process than any of us thought it would be. He's just got a lot to learn and a lot to work on to this point."
If the Jets can get Ridley, Smith and Kerley moving again, Fitzpatrick will have more to work with in the coming games. The Jets can still make it into the postseason, but major improvements are needed.
