There was a very scary moment during the second half of the New York Jets’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7.
After a tipped Aaron Rodgers pass was intercepted, offensive lineman Xavier Newman was blasted by linebacker Patrick Queen.
Newman stumbled backward to the ground after suffering what appeared to be a helmet-to-helmet hard collision.
He was put on a stretcher with a spine board to secure his neck. NBC’s Melissa Stark reported live on the broadcast that he regained feeling in his extremities and squeezed the hand of one of the medical personnel on the field. Newman was taken to a local hospital for additional testing in the middle of the game.
Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich provided a key update on his status after the game.
“X went to the hospital & thank the lord the tests came back negative. He’s traveling back with the team,” Ulbrich said. “Huge relief.”
Jets O-Line Musical Chairs Continue
It was a major problem in 2023 and it might be rearing its ugly head in 2024.
In the middle of the Jets versus Steelers game, offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker left due to an ankle injury.
Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich confirmed the “ankle injury” and said he didn’t return to the game. However, he didn’t have an update on his status moving forward.
A media member followed up by asking if this was an Achilles issue to which Ulbrich responded he was told it was “an ankle” and that’s all he knows.
The reason Newman was in the game is because he replaced AVT in the starting lineup. When Newman left the game, the Jets turned to interior offensive lineman Jake Hanson.
The Jets Secondary Is Absolutely Decimated by Injuries
Gang Green entered the game with issues in the secondary. They were down their top two corners with D.J. Reed and Michael Carter II unviable. The Jets were also without starting safety Chuck Clark who was placed on injured reserve with an ankle sprain.
In the middle of the game, they lost Sauce Gardner, who did return, and both of their starting safeties.
Ulbrich said Ashtyn Davis was dealing with a concussion and Tony Adams was dealing with a hamstring. Both players didn’t return to the game after getting injured which is never a good sign.
Russell Wilson made his Steelers debut and took full advantage of the Jets’ issues.
Wilson finished 16-of-29 for 264 passing yards, averaged 9.1 a throw, had two touchdowns, no interceptions, and was only sacked once in the game.
The former Super Bowl champion was able to keep plays alive and his pass catchers made outstanding plays. There were several miscommunications on the backend of the defense and some of that can be attributed to the rotation personnel due to injuries.
While Wilson has impressive career credentials he hadn’t played an NFL game in over 10 months. Despite that massive gap in time, the Jets themselves couldn’t take advantage of a rusty Wilson.
Now the team is 2-5 with a lot more questions than answers moving forward.
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