Injury Report: Jets Prepared For Dogfight With Bills In 2015 NFL Season Finale
By Abraham Gutierrez
In a way, the New York Jets will be playing for their playoff lives when they travel to Orchard Park for a Week 17 clash with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Luckily, the fact that this is the final week of the regular season hasn’t taken that much of a toll on a team that makes its living playing a physical brand of football on both sides of the rock.
On Friday, Todd Bowles submitted his weekly injury report, and by the looks of it, most of the team is healthy and ready for a dogfight against former Gang Green coach Rex Ryan and his tricky Bills. At first glance, it appears that the Jets have a mountain of injuries to deal with, as the first-year head coach listed 15 hobbled players prior to the 2015 NFL season finale.
Nevertheless, there are a few players whose statuses are a concern heading into what is sure to be a very physically demanding affair on the road. Considering that the running game is an integral part of the Jets’ offense, the first order of business to get to is the fact that the team’s first and second string half-backs had their names penciled in this week’s injury report.
Due to a lingering knee injury, starting running back Chris Ivory is coming off a limited week of practice, but he’s listed as probable in spite of it all. In contrast, the status of his backup isn’t quite as defined, as Bilal Powell’s ankle kept him off the practice field all week and is listed as questionable.
“They’ve been banged up all year,” Bowles said of his running backs. “We just have to keep rolling.”
In short, the Jets submitted a Week 17 injury report that consists of 12 players listed as probable and three are questionable. Among the probables, one can also find starting quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who continues to play despite torn ligaments in his left thumb.
With such an important game coming up on Sunday, the Harvard graduate and his head coach wasted no time dismissing the possibility that the well-traveled signal-caller may not be available at Ralph Wilson Stadium despite practicing only on a limited basis.
“I didn’t participate in all the plays, so they had to put me on [the injury report],” Fitzpatrick told reporters. “It's nothing really to be concerned about.”
Bowles also chimed in on the “sore thumb” and “body aches” his quarterback is dealing with this week: “It should be nothing serious,” he added.
New York Jets NFL Week 17 Injury Report & Game Statuses
Probable:
(WR) Brandon Marshall (Ankle) - Full Participation in Practice
(LB) Calvin Pace (Abdomen) - Limited Participation in Practice
(LB) Lorenzo Mauldin (Back) - Full Participation in Practice
(WR) Kenbrell Thompkins (Quadricep) - Full Participation in Practice
(WR) Eric Decker (Knee) - Full Participation in Practice
(RB) Chris Ivory (Knee) - Limited Participation in Practice
(CB) Dee Milliner (Hamstring) - Full Participation in Practice
(WR) Quincy Enunwa (Neck) - Full Participation in Practice
(DE) Muhammad Wilkerson (Toe) - Limited Participation in Practice
(LB) Erin Henderson (Illness) - Full Participation in Practice
(LB) Demario Davis (Wrist) - Full Participation in Practice
(QB) Ryan Fitzpatrick (left Thumb) - Full Participation in Practice
Questionable:
(T) Breno Giacomini (Ankle) - Did Not Participate In Practice
(RB) Bilal Powell (Ankle) - Did Not Participate In Practice
(TE) Kellen Davis (Foot) - Did Not Participate In Practice
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.
