In Week 18 in the NFL, some teams are fighting for playoff positioning, a few teams will be taking it a bit easy with their postseason spots secure, and others will be playing out the string before they watch the playoffs instead of participating in them.
The New York Jets will be wrapping up another miserable season with a home game against the Miami Dolphins, and though some of their fans may be hoping for a loss in order to get a better draft pick, the team will be playing to win.
However, five Jets starters — Tyler Conklin, Sauce Gardner, Moses Morgan, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Quinnen Williams — aren’t taking part in practice, and as a result, the Jets could be short-handed, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.
Jets injury report: Five starters didn’t practice again today. Tomorrow will be the key day with regard to the finale on Sunday. #Jets pic.twitter.com/B8JEx8zdsT
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) January 2, 2025
Conklin has been a solid option at tight end, while Gardner is having a decent season in the secondary with nine passes defended and 49 total tackles (36 solo).
Williams, a defensive lineman who was voted to the Pro Bowl in the past two seasons, has been playing well with 6.0 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss.
Though New York appears to have plenty of talent on defense, their performance has been poor.
They do rank fifth in total yards allowed and have been able to defend the pass, yet they’re 21st in points allowed, mainly because they struggle to stop the run.
This could be the final NFL game for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and with Morgan and Vera-Tucker unable to play, it could be a risky one, as he could have even less pass protection than usual.
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