Jets suffer yet another cruel blow that could make Aaron Rodgers' mind up
The New York Jets cannot catch a break this season. Fresh off Sunday's revenge victory over Sean Payton's Denver Broncos, "Gang Green" has been hit with a hammer blow in the trenches.
Star offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker was forced out of Sunday's 31-21 win at Mile High Stadium as the Jets improved to 2-3, and further examination has confirmed the 24-year-old has ruptured his Achilles, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Vera-Tucker is widely considered to be the Jets' best offensive lineman, performing well at both right guard and right tackle in the opening five weeks of the season, but durability has been an issue since he entered the NFL. Last year, his season came to an end in Week 7 after tearing his triceps.
The 2021 first-round pick is the second Jets player to suffer a torn Achilles this season, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers going down after just four plays in the opener against the Buffalo Bills last month. Head coach Robert Saleh and his team entered the season with huge ambitions after trading for Rodgers, but their hopes of success are on the brink after another major injury on Sunday.
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"From an injury standpoint, AVT, unfortunately, the MRI showed he did tear his Achilles, so he is out for the year. It is (a big blow), it's the second year in a row and we're all kind of surprised because he played a play on it, he walked off on his own power, he walked to the locker room on his own power," Saleh said at Monday's press conference.
"So we were pretty optimistic that part of it was going to be OK, but it's a blow and I feel bad for him. He battled his way back this offseason from the injury that happened a year ago, and for this to happen again, it's unfortunate."
Aaron Rodgers's hopes of returning before the end of the season could soon be redundant. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)Vera-Tucker's diagnosis came as a big shock to the Jets as he was able to briefly play through the pain, with the team reporting it was a calf injury at the time. The Jets have Max Mitchell and Billy Turner available as replacements, with Duane Brown due back off injured reserve in Week 8.
Despite a heartening win at the weekend, which saw the Jets get revenge for offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett after Payton's offseason comments directed at his predecessor at the Broncos, Vera-Tucker's injury could bring Rodgers' hopes of returning by the end of the season to a halt.
Rodgers has declared his intention to try to be back on the field well ahead of schedule from his injury, but only if the Jets are in postseason contention. And their offensive line has been porous, even with Vera-Tucker in the lineup, which contributed to Rodgers' injury in the first place.
Without his best protector in the trenches, it has only become a more difficult task for backup QB Zach Wilson to lead the Jets through adversity and into the playoff picture, particularly with the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills to contend with in their division.
The Jets remain determined, but this could be the blow that derails their ambitions, with the fearsome pass rush of the Philadelphia Eagles next on the slate on Sunday afternoon.
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