PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

November 22, 2018 at 1:34 am.

PLAYER NOTES

–WR Robby Anderson sat out practice due to a nagging ankle injury Wednesday and since the Jets are returning from their bye week, it seems likely he may not play. Anderson sat out the loss against Buffalo with the same injury. As of Wednesday, head coach Todd Bowles said there was no thought of shutting Anderson down for the season.

–QB Sam Darnold (sprained right foot) did not practice Wednesday and may not play for the second straight game this week vs. New England. Darnold is out of the walking boot but was not able to practice though head coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday Darnold was getting better.

–S Marcus Maye did not practice Wednesday due to a shoulder/thumb injury.

–LG James Carpenter missed practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury.

–OLB Brandon Copeland missed practice with an elbow injury.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Elijah McGuire appears poised for a bigger role in the backfield in the last six weeks. It’s apparent the Jets like McGuire a lot since last week offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates compared him to former Patriots running back Kevin Faulk. In a limited role as a rookie, he totaled 315 rushing yards, 177 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. A broken foot cost him the first half of this season and in two games since returning, he has 60 rushing yards and 64 receiving yards. With Isaiah Crowell’s productivity diminishing of late and the season-ending neck injury to Bilal Powell, it seems logical to think McGuire’s role would expand.

GAME PLAN: Assuming tight end Rob Gronkowski plays and by all indications, he will return from an ankle injury, it will be interesting to see if the Jets still respect his talents to use double teams on him in most situations. If they do, it could place an extra strain on a struggling secondary to stop the likes of wide receivers Julian Edelman and Phillip Dorsett.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH

Jets OL vs. Patriots DL. The last few weeks have been painful for the offensive line, which allowed three sacks in the Buffalo game. This week they are going against a defensive line that is part of a defense ranking 30th in sacks.

–Jets TE Chris Herndon vs. Patriots secondary. Is this the week the Jets get Herndon more involved? New England is ranked 27th in defending tight ends by allowing 50 receptions for 621 yards and seven touchdowns. Herndon scored the only TD in the 24-10 loss at Chicago and has 19 catches, 257 yards, and three touchdowns.

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