NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Another of the Jets’ key defensive players left Sunday’s game against the Titans, and the looks on the faces of edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, his teammates and coaches revealed just how serious Johnson’s injury is likely to be.

Johnson, currently the best edge rusher on the Jets’ roster, went down late in the third quarter without a collision. Johnson immediately grabbed his right leg and put his hands on his head before the play was even over.

Within minutes, Johnson was out with an Achilles tendon injury.

And that injury explained the immediate, emotional reaction on the field after Johnson’s injury.

Moments after medical staff and coach Robert Saleh reached Johnson, he raised his hands in apparent agitation while Johnson was being examined. Moments later, medical staff called for the car. Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton was also overcome with emotion after running from the sidelines to Johnson.

Soon most of the Jets team was out there to console Johnson, including Solomon Thomas, who hugged Johnson and gave him an obvious message of encouragement. Johnson quickly put a towel over his head before the car took him off the field.

As Johnson was led into the locker room, the crowd at Nissan Stadium cheered loudly and Johnson gave a thumbs up.

That’s not good news for the Jets in the short or long term. With their best edge rusher out for the foreseeable future, they’ll almost certainly have to find a way to get Haason Reddick back on the field.

But right now, it’s hard to imagine anything other than an injury that could change the career of one of the Jets’ most promising young players.

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You can reach Andy Vasquez at [email protected].