The New York Jets have been relying on the running back tandem of Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell to make things easier for rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. Through the first seven games of the season, the two have combined for 981 total yards and six touchdowns.
That’s now going to be a one-man show for the remainder of the season. The Jets on Wednesday placed Powell on injured reserve after he suffered a neck injury in the team’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings last week.
We’ve signed S Ibraheim Campbell and placed RB Bilal Powell on IR.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 24, 2018
This is a massive blow for Darnold and Co. Powell was on pace for north of 1,000 total yards and had been the team’s leading receiver out of the backfield.
At 3-4 on the season, New York remains somewhat alive in the AFC Playoff race. Having Darnold navigate through the rest of the season without Powell in the mix is a less-than-ideal situation.
The hope here is that second-year back Elijah McGuire will be able to return soon. He was placed on injured reserve prior to the start of the season with a broken foot and is eligible to be activated Week 9. McGuire returned to practice earlier this month.