[ad_1]
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — In the span of seven offensive plays Sunday, the New York Jets lost rookie running back Breece Hall and right tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker — two of their top players — to season-ending injuries.
An MRI confirmed an ACL tear and a meniscus injury for Hall, who was one of the leading candidates for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Vera-Tucker, who distinguished himself by exceling at three different positions on the offensive line this season, will have surgery to repair a triceps injury.
Both players were hurt in the first half of the Jets’ 16-9 victory over the Denver Broncos.
“It’s always tough,” coach Robert Saleh said Monday. “Those are two potential Pro Bowlers between Breece and AVT.”
They’re huge blows to the Jets (5-2), who have a four-game winning streak and face the New England Patriots on Sunday in a key AFC East matchup at MetLife Stadium.
Hall will be difficult to replace, as he ranks seventh in the NFL with 681 yards from scrimmage. With him on the field, the Jets averaged 5.6 yards per rush, which would be the top mark in the league, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. With Hall off the field, they’ve averaged only 3.6, which would rank 29th.
The Jets will lean on Michael Carter and Ty Johnson as their top two backs. Carter, their leading rusher in 2021, actually began the season as their RB1 before yielding to Hall. Zonovan Knight, an undrafted rookie from NC State, likely will be elevated from the practice squad for depth purposes.
“I’ve done it in the past and I did it certain weeks last year,” Carter said Monday. “Being able to carry (the load) is something I’m very much capable of.”
Carter has rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 3.5 yards per carry.
Vera-Tucker, who started the season at right guard but moved to left tackle and then right tackle because of injuries on the line, will be replaced by recent addition Cedric Ogbuehi, who made his Jets’ debut in Denver. A 2015 first-round pick of the
[ad_2]
Source : espn
