The New York Jets were missing two key pieces on Sunday in their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Eric Decker and Chris Ivory were both ruled out as options prior to the game and their absences were certainly felt as the offense failed to get moving. The team is in need of a bounce back game as Ryan Fitzpatrick needs as many weapons on the field as possible. While Ivory is expected back, Decker is a question mark,
Decker was ruled out of Week 3 play after suffering an injury against the Indianapolis Colts. Decker downplayed the knee injury to the media stating that he checked out just fine in medical tests, but clearly there are concerns about his health moving forward. According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, the Jets have offered no timetable for a return in regards to Decker. Head coach Todd Bowles told the media that he would have a better understanding of where Decker was in terms of his health on Wednesday when the team reported for practice.
In his place, Jeremy Kerley is lobbying for more action. The veteran wide receiver has dropped big time on the depth chart and is trying to crawl back into the good graces of the coaching staff. That has yet to work, but with Decker sidelined, Kerley's time could be now to make an impact. Chris Owusu jumped Kerley on the depth chart and Devin Smith is even more favored when he makes his return, but the receiver told the media that he can be the quarterback's best friend if given the chance.
"I feel like I am a quarterback's best friend," Kerley said, via ESPN.com. "I don't know, that's how I feel. I just feel like I move differently than everybody else out on the field. Everybody is different, everybody brings different talents to the game. I feel like my intangible is my ability to create separation and that is at the line of scrimmage. I don't try to play outside myself. I know how to play within myself and use what I have to my advantage."
While the wide receiver position remains in flux, the running back position could be back to normal in Week 4. Ivory was out with a groin injury, but stressed that he feels healthy and could have played in the loss to the Eagles. Instead, Bilal Powell took over the lead rushing attack and Zac Stacy saw his first carries of the year. They acquired just 33 yards on 10 carries which hurt the offense going forward. Ivory made it clear he will be healthy for Week 4.
"Early on, I didn't feel like I'd be well enough to be productive, but the more I got going and the warmer I got, I felt good," Ivory said. "I felt really good. But the decision was made. I was happy with it. I was happy with it [because] I don't want something lingering around most of the year. I was able to sit back and be the emergency back and get ready for next week."
