FRIDAY INJURY REPORT
NEW YORK JETS
–OUT: WR Charone Peake (hamstring), TE Neal Sterling (concussion)
–QUESTIONABLE: S Marcus Maye (ankle, foot), S Doug Middleton (knee, finger), CB Buster Skrine (knee)
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
–OUT: CB D.J. Hayden (toe)
–QUESTIONABLE: G A.J. Cann (triceps), RB Leonard Fournette (hamstring)
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: DE Leonard Williams: The Big Cat played 84 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps Thursday in Cleveland, but didn’t find the stat sheet — no sacks, no quarterback hits, not even a tackle. The four-year veteran, who’ll be entering the final year of his rookie contract this offseason, now has only three sacks in his last 28 games after accumulating 10 in his first 23. The 24-year-old, who has never missed a game, is still on head coach Todd Bowles’ good side, though.
“I thought they tried to double him a lot, and he got to the quarterback when the ball was out,” the coach said after their loss to the Browns. “He took the pressure off the other guys. They sent two or three guys at him almost every other play. But Leonard caused a lot of other people to make plays, and that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. I’m happy with what he did.”
The Jets’ defense had 12 quarterback hits on Thursday, including four sacks.
GAME PLAN: This may sound like sort of a minute detail in the grand scheme of things, but in a likely defensive battle (the OVER/UNDER is only 38.5 points) any big play could be the difference. The Jets have allowed a 20-plus yard rush to the opposing quarterback the last two weeks (Ryan Tannehill and Tyrod Taylor) and now they face Blake Bortles, who has averaged 6.4 yards per carry on 238 rushing attempts in his five-year career, with seven touchdowns. His 6.4 ypc is better than Cam Newton’s 5.2 career average and is tied with Randall Cunningham for second highest all-time to Michael Vick (7.0). Bortles popped a 41-yarder against the Giants in Week 1.
Offensively, I’m going to keep using this stat until Sam Darnold doesn’t turn the ball over in a game: In 27 career starts between USC and the Jets, the 21-year-old has turned the ball over at least once in 22 of them, including all three games as a pro. Jacksonville’s defense, surprisingly, only has three takeaways so far this season, but Myles Jack did return the Jags’ lone interception for a touchdown to seal their win over the Giants.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Jets TEs vs. Jaguars MLB Myles Jack. Eric Tomlinson, Neal Sterling and rookie Chris Herndon have only combined for 10 catches for 101 yards in the first three games, and Jack is faster and more athletic than all three. Sam Darnold had better be mindful of where Jack is lined up if he targets his tight ends on Sunday.
–Jets ILB Darron Lee vs. Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette. Fournette was limited at Wednesday’s practice but could return Sunday after a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury. Lee sometimes has trouble tackling larger backs, and Fournette and him are basically the same size (6-0, 228 pounds for Fournette and 6-1, 232 for Lee) so Fournette could really wear down the Jets’ interior defense. If Fournette can’t play, T.J. Yeldon (6-1, 223) will be no picnic to tackle, either.
