–Quarterback Sam Darnold will be playing behind another configuration on the offensive line this week and it will not include right tackle, Brandon Shell.
Shell was injured in the third quarter Saturday when he got his legs rolled up by the pile. He exited the game on a cart and head coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday Shell is out for the season and likely will require surgery.
Shell started every game this season and 29 in the last three seasons and is signed through next season.
The 26-year-old was replaced by Brent Qvale and Qvale likely would start again Sunday.
Shell is the second offensive lineman to go down with a season-ending injury.
Left guard James Carpenter was declared out for the season with a shoulder injury after getting hurt in Week 10.
–While Darnold is getting the praise for the fourth-quarter drive he led in the win at Buffalo, the drive he led resulting in the only lead of the Houston game, the Jets still face problems closing things out.
Half of the 10 losses are by a touchdown or less and in three of those games they gave up a go-ahead touchdown in the final three minutes.
It happened in Week 3 at Cleveland when the Jets allowed a one-yard touchdown run to Carlos Hyde with 2:04 left. It happened three weeks ago in Tennessee when the Jets allowed an 11-yard touchdown catch to Corey Davis with 36 seconds remaining and again Saturday when they allowed a De’Andre Hopkins 14-yard score with 2:15 left.
Those three drives all share two commonalities, penalties and the inability to get the defense off the field.
In the scoring drive in Cleveland, the Jets allowed a 15-play, 75-yard drive spanning 6:52. During that drive, the Jets were not penalized but gave up five double-digit gains and allowed the Browns to convert three first downs.
In the deciding drive in Tennessee, the Jets allowed a seven-play, 86-yard drive in 70 seconds. In that drive, the Jets committed two penalties, allowed four double-digit gains and one third-down conversion.
Against the Texans, the Jets allowed a seven-play, 75-yard drive totaling 2:45. During that drive, the Jets were penalized once, the Jets allowed three double-digit gains, which enabled the Texans to avoid being in a third-down situation.
Overall in fourth quarters, the Jets are getting outscored 77-38 in their last eight games and 110-75 overall.
“It’s frustrating to lose the ballgame,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “We could have finished it a bunch of different ways, whether it was offense or defense. We didn’t finish it. The penalties cost us at the end. Then, the guy made a great play. It’s frustrating to lose the ballgame.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 34 — This represents the amount of sacks the Jets own after getting six last week against Houston. It was their first game with six sacks since getting seven on Nov. 2, 2017 vs. Buffalo. The Jets are 34-8-1 all-time when getting six sacks or more and have never achieved the feat in consecutive games.
