The NY Jets failed to win their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, losing by a final score of 32-19. During the game, cornerback Michael Carter II left the game in the second half, apparently due to injury.
The Jets provided an update shortly afterward, calling it an ankle injury and stating that his return was questionable. Carter never made it back on the field, leading to some concerns about his future status.
Jets coach Robert Saleh told reporters after the game that Carter re-injured the same ankle that caused him to miss several weeks of training camp over the summer, but the good news is that it doesn’t appear to be anything serious.
Saleh told reporters that Carter could have played again, but the Jets held off on him as a precaution. His condition was to be monitored this week, but Carter appears to have avoided a serious injury. Brandin Echols would start in his place if Carter is unable to play next week.
What happened to Sauce Gardner?
Jets fans were stunned when star cornerback Sauce Gardner left the field for several plays late in the first half. Gardner’s absence was initially believed to be due to injury, but the Jets confirmed to ESPN that he was not benched for medical reasons.
Gardner was spotted kneeling on the sideline with his helmet in hand before eventually returning to the field. Saleh was asked after the game about Gardner’s puzzling absence and revealed that his star cornerback was simply trying to catch his breath.
Gardner said he became winded during a tackle and was unable to breathe for several minutes. There was no official injury report, so the Jets’ public relations department told ESPN it was not a medical situation.
So there you have it. Gardner’s bizarre absence has a pretty simple explanation. The conspiracy theories can be put to rest.
Breece Hall apologizes for his performance
Monday night wasn’t Breece Hall’s best game as a member of the Jets. The star running back was held in check by a stingy 49ers defense for most of the night and had a costly fumble in the first quarter that led to San Francisco’s first points of the game.
Hall managed just 54 yards on 16 carries, a disappointing average of just 3.4 yards per carry. He also caught five balls for 39 yards and scored a touchdown, but it was definitely not Hall’s best performance.
The former second-round pick told reporters after the game that he actually apologized to Aaron Rodgers for not playing to his full potential. Rodgers apparently told Hall not to worry and that there was still a lot of football left to play.
It’s encouraging to see Hall step up to the plate after a challenging game for the Jets on both offense and defense. Rodgers is right, though – it’s just one game.
