Matt Forte said Sunday he wasn’t “going to be on the headset telling somebody how to do their job.” If he was, it might not have mattered.
With the Jets leading the Falcons 7-0 midway through Sunday’s rain-filled first quarter, Atlanta drove 64 yards for a touchdown in just over three minutes — after completing four passes to tight ends — which Todd Bowles attributed to the team’s headsets going out during the drive.
“We had trouble with communication on the field for about three plays,” Bowles said Monday. “You try to signal, but when you don’t have communication upstairs or on the field it makes it tough, so we leave that one defense in there and you play a blanket defense.”
Bowles said the Jets had no further communication problems during the 25-20 loss, but he noted Atlanta also experienced issues with their headsets during a later offensive drive.
“I don’t know why it malfunctioned,” Bowles said. “It probably was [the rain], but I couldn’t tell you that for sure.”
Even with three straight losses, quarterback Josh McCown still believes the 3-5 Jets are in a “good situation.” Having spent the previous two seasons with the Browns certainly helps.
“I’ve been through some tough ones, and this time last year in Cleveland it wasn’t looking very good and it didn’t look very good for a lot of weeks, so for us, we’re in a good situation,” McCown said. “Not ideal, but we can dig ourselves out of it, so I’m not down at all, just excited about the challenge.”
Muhammad Wilkerson’s status for Thursday is uncertain.
Though Wilkerson (foot/shoulder) has played in every game this season, he has been sitting out of practices to rest his injuries. With the short turnaround, Bowles didn’t know if Wilkerson would have enough time to heal up again.
“It may change [it],” Bowles said. “It’s gonna be tough. We’ll see.”
Wilkerson, who recorded his first sack of the season Sunday, wouldn’t comment on what his chances were to play.
“I take care of my body, get treatment. That’s all I can do,” Wilkerson said. “You guys see me out there every week, doing my job, so we don’t really gotta talk about injuries.”
Fullback Lawrence Thomas (concussion) has already been ruled out for Thursday. Cornerback Morris Claiborne (foot), tight end Jordan Leggett (knee) and safety Terrence Brooks (hamstring) also did not practice. Cornerback Buster Skrine (concussion) was limited, along with right tackle Brandon Shell (neck), Brent Qvale (toe) and Forte (knee).
Bowles said that “it’s possible” Claiborne could play, while Skrine is still in the concussion protocol. If both are inactive, the Jets would have four healthy cornerbacks — Darryl Roberts, Juston Burris, Robert Nelson and Derrick Jones.