LaDainian Tomlinson Injury Update: Sprained MCL Threatens To Keep Tomlinson Out Against Denver Broncos

New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson suffered an MCL sprain against the New England Patriots Sunday night, and the team is unsure whether he will be available Thursday against the Denver Broncos.

Tomlinson was injured with less than two minutes remaining in New York's 37-17 loss on Sunday, after a hit by New England's Julian Edelman awkwardly bent Tomlinson's leg. After limping off the field, Tomlinson wore a leg wrap in the locker room.

After the game, Tomlinson told reporters his status for Thursday was unsure.

"Yeah, my leg just got hit low,":Tomlinson said. "And I felt my leg. And that's all I can pretty much say right now. ... I'll get some more tests tomorrow and we'll go from there. I'm sure coach will give you an update as we get a little later in the week."

"I won't even speculate yet, " Tomlinson said when asked about his status for Thursday. " I can't do it. We'll see what happens."    

Tomlinson has rushed for 167 yards and one touchdown this season. He has also caught 25 catches for 312 yards and another touchdown. 

VIDEO: Jets Coach Rex Ryan Curses At Fan

NFL Week 10: Jets Miss Chance To Grab AFC East Lead

The New York Jets knew Sunday was their opportunity to take control of the AFC East. They entered their game with New England tied with both the Patriots and Buffalo Bills with division-leading 5-3 records.

They left Sunday’s embarrassing 37-16 lead looking up at the 6-3 Patriots again.

“It looks doubtful (that the Jets can win the division) right now. What am I going to say? Maybe I should guarantee the fact that we’re out of it,” said Jets coach Rex Ryan. “The last time I did that, we made the playoffs. Yeah, we don’t have a chance.”

Meanwhile, the Bills have now lost two of three and after being humbled by Dallas 44-7 on Sunday the Bills have lost three of four and appear to be regressing. See Buffalo Rumblings for more about the Bills.

The Miami Dolphins won their second straight game Sunday, defeating Washington, 20-9. The Dolphins nearly beat the Giants before that, so it looks like they are out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. See The Phinsider for more.

Joe Namath Tweets Up A Storm During Jets' Loss

Following Joe Namath on Twitter during New York Jets games might be more fun than watching the games themselves. Especially when the Jets lose, like they did Sunday night against the New England Patriots, 37-16.

Namath, of course, remains passionate about the Jets and is never shy about criticizing the team or head coach Rex Ryan.

He was in good form Sunday night. These were some of his best salvos of the evening:

“If we lose tonight I quit.” Which was followed by “I only quit smoking, dipping and drinking. I’ll never quit on the Jets.”

“Ya the refs bleeding. Who cares.”

“Hey, we’re NOT out of this! 2 TDs down, a quarter and 4+ min to play. JETS NEED TO PLAY BETTER. Plenty of time!”

Finally, before signing off after the game Namath took a shot at the Jets defense.

“The Jet defense looked confused. Were they getting the defensive calls too late? Or responding to the calls too late? And WHY?”

Yes, Joe was on a better roll Sunday night than the Jets offense. And something tells me we will hear more from him this week.

Rex Ryan Post-Game Transcript: 'I Apologize To Our Fans'

Rex Ryan's post-game remarks following Sunday's 37-16 loss to the New England Patriots

Jets-Patriots Reaction: Jets Still Don't Measure Up

Patriots 37, Jets 16: Brady Leads Patriots Over Jets As New England Takes Control of AFC East

This was supposed to be the New York Jets’ turn to take over the AFC East from the rival New England Patriots. Many had predicted the Jets, winners of three straight coming in, to knock off the ice-cold Patriots. But maybe everyone forgot for a week that Tom Brady was still the Patriots’ quarterback. And in New England’s 37-16 victory over the Jets on Sunday night, Brady was brilliant.

As for his counterpart, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez? Still a long, long way to go.

Brady led drive after impressive drive against a Jets defense that struggled throughout the game, as the Patriots improved to 6-3 and took control of the AFC East. The Jets could not get to Brady consistently – as the Giants did last week, painting the blueprint for beating New England. Brady carved the Jets’ secondary apart, twice finding tight end Rob Gronkowski for scores, including one to make it 23-9 New England in the third quarter. The Jets battled back to 23-16 when Sanchez connected with Plaxico Burress on a score, but that’s as close as the Jets would get the rest of the day.

Brady’s eight yard touchdown strike to Deion Branch with 8:10 remaining in the game capped a 13-play, 84 yard drive and gave New England a 30-16 lead. For good measure, Rob Ninkovich intercepted Sanchez on the ensuing possession and returned it 10 yards for a score. It was an emphatic exclamation point, the exclamation being that the Patriots are still the class of the AFC East.

Brady finished with 329 yards passing and three touchdowns, while Sanchez padded his stats after the game was essentially over. He finished with 306 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while also adding a rushing touchdown.

The Jets have to get their act together quickly, as they head to Denver to take on Tim Tebow and the Broncos on Thursday night in a short turnaround. The Jets have wins on their schedule, but they’ll need as many of them as possible if they want to make the postseason.

At 5-4, there is little room for error.

Jets-Patriots Third Quarter Update: Patriots Expand Lead, 23-9

The New England Patriots lead the New York Jets, 23-9, after three quarters of their Sunday Night Football Game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Patriots expanded their lead in the third quarter with some big plays from quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots second drive of the quarter was for 91 yards before settling for a Gostkowski field goal putting. This put them ahead 16-9. 

Mark Sanchez threw an interception that was tipped twice before settling in the hands of Ninkovich. Brady had great field position to work with leading his team down the field passing the ball 34 yards. Kevin Faulk added seven yards on the ground. The drive ended with Brady tossing the ball to Ron Gronkowski down the middle. Gronkowski was penalized 15 yards for spiking the ball in the face of the Jets' safety. 

The Jets took the great field position and drove the ball down to the Patriots seven-yard line before time ran out in the quarter. 

Jets-Patriots Halftime Update: New England Patriots Lead, 13-9

The New England Patriots lead the New York Jets, 13-9, at halftime of their Sunday Night Football Game. at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

New England scored on a pair of field goals in the first quarter and an 18-yard pass from Tom Brady to Rob Gornkowski in the second quarter. 

The Jets record a safety when Brady was called for intentional grounding in the end zone and got a two-yard run from quarterback Mark Sanchez to cap a seven-play, 65-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter.

Sanchez was 10-for-19 for 137 yards in the first half. Brady went 14-of-27 for 203 yards with one touchdown.

The teams entered the game 5-3, tied atop the AFC East. Buffalo (5-4) fell out of a share of the top spot with a 44-7 loss to Dallas earlier in the day.

New England won the first meeting between the teams earlier this season. 

Injury Update: Devin McCourty Possibly Concussed On Big Hit, Leaves Game With Injury

The New England Patriots secondary took another big hit (literally) when cornerback Devin McCourty took the brunt of a helmet to helmet hit from teammate Sterling Moore when he went in for a tackle on Plaxico Burress. The referees called a personal foul penalty on Moore. Burress was ruled a defenseless player on the play and bent backwards on the play. Burress has had to deal with back injuries of late and lucked out that he was not injured on the play. 

McCourty remained on the ground for several minutes after the hit and needed assistance walking off the field. He left the field and was brought into the locker room clenching his shoulder. He is listed as questionable for a return this evening. He was replaced by a rookie cornerback. The Patriots secondary is incredibly thin at this point in the season with multiple starters out. 

Jets-Patriots First Quarter Score: Patriots Lead, 6-0

The New England Patriots lead the New York Jets, 6-0, after the first quarter of their Sunday Night Football Game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The first quarter of the New York Jets Vs. New England Patriots could be best summed up by missed opportunities. In their opening drive, Mark Sanchez brilliantly led his team down the field, picking the Patriots apart with expertise. He was unable to find a receiver in the red zone. Nick Folk had the opportunity to put the team up 3-0 but missed a chip shot from 26 yards out.

The Patriots had a similar opening drive. Tom Brady finally hooked up with Chad Ochocinco several times. The team was unable to move deep in Jets territory and had to settle for a field goal. On the second Patriots drive Brady found Ochocinco for a 58 yard completion. It Chad's biggest reception on the year. Again, the Patriots had to settle for a field goal. The quarter ended with the Jets having control of the ball and driving down the field.

Below is Chad Ochocinco's reception:

Jets-Patriots Injury And Inactives List, Week 10: Patriots Without Brandon Spikes

The New York Jets host the New England Patriots tonights at MetLife Stadium. It will be the second time the two play each other this season with the Patriots taking the first game at Gillet Stadium 30-21. It was the last time the Jets have lost this year.

The Jets have been surging this past month winning three straight games bringing their record to 5-3 on the season. Quarterback Mark Sanchez has commanded the offense while the defense has been coming up with big plays when needed. 

This evening the Patriots will be without linebacker Brandon Spikes who sustained a knee injury last Sunday against the New York Giants. 

Jets inactives: QB Kevin O'Connell, WR Eron Riley, S Brodney Pool, RB Bilal Powell, TE Shawn Nelson, DT Kenrick Ellis, DT Martin Tevaseu

Patriots inactives: QB Ryan Mallett, WR Taylor Price, S Patrick Chung, RB Shane Vereen, LB Dane Fletcher, LB Brandon Spikes, OL Donald Thomas.    

Week 10: New England Patriots (5-3) at New York Jets (5-3)

The Jets host the Patriots this week in a prime time showdown. First place and the inside track to the division title are on the line.

Key Matchup When the Patriots Have the Ball: Sione Pouha vs. Dan Connolly

Stopping a high octane passing game sometimes starts with stopping the run. That is what happened with the Jets last week in Buffalo. Gang Green loaded passing lanes with defenders. This meant giving up a numbers edge in the box and daring the Bills to run it. Pouha and his fellow run stoppers dominated up front, slowed down the run, and allowed this strategy to work. He will have to do the same this week.

Key Matchup When the Jets Have the Ball: Mark Sanchez vs. Secondary
Everything is there for Sanchez. He has great receivers who are starting to pick up their play. The New England secondary is in shambles. The Pats allow more passing yardage than any team in the league. If Sanchez wants to take the leap to the next level, this is the kind of game he has to own.

Three Simple Keys:
1. Take Shots

The Pats are without two of their top three corners from Week 1. The only one still there has allowed more yards in coverage than any corner in the league. In the first meeting, the Jets did not try and exploit the holes in New England’s coverage until it was too late. They need to challenge the Pats early and often down the field.

2. Hit Tom Brady

This might be common sense, but Brady has carved the Jets up when they have not gotten consistent pressure on him in the past. Gang Green has made Brady look very human, though, at times when they have delivered hits. These need not only be sacks. Even if they are drilling him after he releases the ball, those hits add up and make a quarterback and rush things.

3. Win the Special Teams Battle

Close games like these frequently come down to the third phase of the game. New York needs to continue playing special teams at a high level.

Patriots Vs. Jets: Game Time, TV Schedule, Radio Streaming And More

The New England Patriots (5-3) march into the MetLife Stadium on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET to battle the red-hot Jets (5-3) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, live on NBC and 1050 AM ESPN.

Jets Coach Rex Ryan Says Team Will Look To Continue Pressuring Tom Brady

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan spoke with the media Friday prior to the big game against the New England Patriots. In contrast to the team's usually bombastic style, the Jets have kept the bulletin-board material to a minimum leading into the critical AFC East clash, something Ryan credits to the fact that everyone inside the locker room already knows how important the game is.

 "We're relaxed, focused, loose, but we know what's at stake," Ryan said. "We know how big this game is and we're excited about it. We're ready for it, and we know they're going to be ready for it. So, it ought to be a great game. It's almost like Ali-Frazier, it's one of those type of things. We're excited that it's in our building. We're not banking on that being the difference, but it might very well be the difference."

As for his gameplan, Ryan said he will look to continue a recent trend of opposing teams disrupting Patriots quarterback Tom Brady by penetrating the line to generate pressure on the quarterback. Though Ryan said he didn't take credit for other teams adopting this strategy from the Jets, he did say getting pressure on Brady was necessary if a team is going to beat the Patriots.

"We don't take credit for someone else's success, that's for sure," Ryan said. "If we steal something from somebody, we'll make sure that we give them credit.  That's probably the difference (joking).  Yes, you want to hit Brady, there is no question.  You want to (hit him) to where he is not feeling comfortable. That, you have to do.  If you can't get pressure on Brady, then you're going to get destroyed, so we have to find ways of getting there whether it's through a four-man rush, like the Giants used a bunch, whether it's something creative or whatever, I don't know, but you have to get pressure on Brady."

On offense, Ryan said the Jets will not be altering their gameplan to exploit what some consider to be a shaky New England secondary.

"It's funny, because the season is only half over, so sometimes those stats will even out as the year goes on, but the fact they've had, what, three out of their eight (defensive backs) never even went to training camp," Ryan said. "That's probably tough sledding if you've got to play those guys. Eventually, though, once they play, eventually they'll catch up to the system and all that. But, we're just going to play our game and mix run and pass and see what happens."

Visit Gang Green Nation for complete coverage of the New York Jets and our team page for schedules, news, statistics and updates.

Jets Friday Injury Update: Plaxico Burress Returns To Practice, Is Listed As Probable For Sunday

New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress (low back) returned to full practice Friday and is listed as probable for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, despite missing practice Wednesday and Thursday. Running back Joe McKnight, who also missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with a toe injury, returned to practice, as well, and is listed as probable for Sunday's contest.

Safety Brodney Pool missed practice for the third straight day with a knee injury and is listed as questionable, as is tight end Shawn Nelson, who did not practice Friday with an illness.

The following Jets are made full participation at practice Friday and are listed as probable: cornerback Antonio Cromartie (finger), defensive tackle Mike Devito (knee), defensive tackle Marcus Dixon (shoulder), defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis (ankle), running back Shonn Greene (head, groin), wide receiver Santonio Holmes (foot), offensive tackle Wayne Hunter (finger), center Nick Mangold (ankle), linebacker Joshua Mauga (low back), linebacker Calvin Pace (groin), defensive tackle Sione Pouha (finger), guard Matt Slauson (neck) and cornerback Isaiah Trufant (hamstring).

Click here for the Patriots' Friday injury update.

Visit Gang Green Nation for complete coverage of the New York Jets and our team page for schedules, statistics, news and more.

Rex Ryan: 'We'll See if We're Ahead of [the Patriots] Right Now'

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is never at a loss for words, especially when it comes to the rivalry between the Jets and Patriots. Everyone's aware of his infamous ring quote, "I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick's rings," Ryan said. "I came here to win, let's put it that way.... I'm certainly not intimidated by New England or anybody else."

This is Ryan's third season as coach of the Jets, where he sports a career 3-3 record against the Patriots, including 1-0 in the playoffs. In Ryan's first two seasons as Jets coach, they've made it to the Conference championship game before being eliminated.

The Jets and Patriots will face off this week on Sunday Night Football. Both teams are 5-3, but the Patriots are coming off back-to-back losses, including Tom Brady's first regular season home defeat since 2006. 

The Patriots are 1-0 against the Jets this season, but the Jets are 4-0 at home, where they'll host New England on Sunday Night Football. Below are a few quotes from Rex Ryan's Thursday press conference. 

On if the Patriots are more dangerous because they lost two straight games: 

We don't care what difficulties they're in or anything else. We face the same exact thing heading into their place and hope it's the same result - that we end up finding a way to win. But that's going to happen almost every team. Green Bay, I don't know, they're rolling pretty good. But I think each team will face it at some point. You'll go through kind of dips in the road a little bit.

On if they measure themselves against the Patriots:

Yeah, I think you do because they're the ones that are winning your division. So I think if that really is an ambition of yours to win your division, then, yeah, you want to see where you stack up with them. Obviously that first game, they were better than us. I said it right after we played them, they were the better team then. We'll see who the better team is now. I think we're a better team than we were then. I've said it the whole time. We'll see if we're ahead of them right now.

On if the relationship between the Jets and Patriots now is similar to the relationship between the Ravens and Steelers when he was in Baltimore: 

Yeah, very similar. That was the one. No offense to Cleveland or Cincinnati. We expected to beat those guys every time. You knew it was going to be, and sometimes you won it, but you knew it was going to be a war against Pittsburgh. You knew the same thing that is going to be a huge game against New England. There is no doubt.

On if he still feels that it is him against Bill Belichick when the Jets play the Patriots:

I don't feel that way as much. This one's about how much our team has improved. We're going to judge the winner of this game. If we don't win this game, we're in trouble for the division and we understand that so this one is a big game. We don't deny it. Is it me and all that? As a competitor, you want it that way, but I think this is the whole group of us. This is our football team against theirs. We said after we played them in the playoffs it had nothing to do with me, it was really about our players and our coaches.

Visit Gang Green Nation for complete Jets coverage throughout the season and our team page for schedules, statistics, news and more.

Jets Thursday Injury Update: Plaxico Burress Misses Second Straight Practice With Lower-Back Injury

All's quiet on the injury report for the New York Jets. Wide receiver Plaxico Burress missed practice with the lower back injury that kept him out of Wednesday practice and running back Joe McKnight (toe) and safety Brodney Pool (knee) also missed practice for the second consecutive day.

Defensive tackle Marcus Dixon (shoulder) and linebacker Joshua Mauga (low back) were both limited in practice Thursday, as they were on Wednesday.

The following nicked up players were listed as full participants in Thursday's practice: cornerback Antonio Cromartie (finger), defensive tackle Mike Devito (knee), defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis (ankle), running back Shonn Greene (head, groin), wide receiver Santonio Holmes (foot), offensive tackle Wayne Hunter (finger), center Nick Mangold (ankle), linebacker Calvin Pace (groin), defensive tackle Sione Pouha (finger), guard Matt Slauson (neck) and cornerback Isaiah Trufant (hamstring).

Of those full participants, only Cromartie, Hunter and Puha's injuries were not listed on Wednesday's report, as well. Click here for an update on the injury status of the New England Patriots.

Visit Gang Green Nation for complete Jets coverage throughout the season.

Patriots At Jets: When New York Has The Ball

(Sports Network) – In his past four starts, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has completed 68-of-112 passes (60.7 percent) for 770 yards, seven touchdowns, two interceptions and a 94.7 rating. He had two touchdowns and a 105.6 rating in the previous meeting between these teams and aims for his 25th regular-season win as a starter (24-15). In his last four games, running back Shonn Greene is averaging 86.3 rushing yards per game, while backfield mate LaDainian Tomlinson posted his first rushing touchdown of the season and 145th of his career last week, the second-most all-time behind Emmitt Smith (164). Including the postseason, wide receiver Santonio Holmes aims for a third straight game with a touchdown against New England. Fellow wideout Plaxico Burress had a season-best five receptions and 79 receiving yards last week, while kick returner/running back Joe McKnight leads the league with 40.2-yard kick return average.

On defense for the Patriots, cornerback Kyle Arrington is tied for the NFL lead with five interceptions, while end Andre Carter has 32 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks and a forced fumble on the front line. Brandon Spikes leads the linebacker corps with 44 tackles, but injured his knee against the Giants and isn’t expected to play.

Patriots At Jets: When New England Has The Ball

(Sports Network) – With a win, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will surpass Hall of Famers Dan Marino and Don Shula for most wins (116) by a quarterback-head coach duo in the Super Bowl era. Brady also needs just one win to tie Hall of Famer Joe Montana (117) for the seventh-most victories by a starting quarterback in league history and owns a 14-5 regular-season record against the Jets. Running back BenJarvus Green- Ellis had a career-best 136 rushing yards in last month’s victory over the Jets and wide receiver Wes Welker had five receptions for 124 yards in that contest. Welker needs two receptions to join Troy Brown (557) and Stanley Morgan (534) as the only players in franchise history with 500 catches. Since entering the NFL in 2010, tight end Rob Gronkowski leads all players at his position with 16 touchdown catches.

On defense for New York, linebacker Calvin Pace recorded his first interception of the season last week against Buffalo and fellow linebacker Jamaal Westerman had a career-best two sacks in the Week 5 loss at New England. Rookie end Muhammad Wilkerson has 20 tackles and a sack in his initial season, while second-year cornerback Kyle Wilson has compiled 23 tackles and an interception.

Statistically, New England’s offense is fifth in scoring (27.8 ppg), second in total yards (437.2 ypg), first in passing (325.6 ypg) and 17th in rushing (111.6 ypg). On defense, the Jets are ninth in points allowed (20.4 ppg), eighth in total yards allowed (319.0 ypg), seventh against the pass (196.0 ypg) and 22nd against the run (123.0 ypg).

Rex Ryan: 'We Know What This Game Represents'

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan pulled no punches this week when asked what Sunday’s game with the AFC East rival New england Patriots means to his team.

“You want to win your division. That was our goal. The two years I’ve been here, obviously New England has won the division both times. They’ve beat us already. So, we know what this game represents, we’re not afraid to talk about it. It’s not one of these, ‘Well, if we don’t, there’s still a lot of season left.’ We’re approaching it like we have to have this game. We want to win our division. We think it goes through New England. Obviously, it’s a three-way tie for first right now. Buffalo is playing well, us and New England. But that old saying, ‘To be the champ you have to beat the champ.’ And they’re sitting right in front of us,” Ryan said.

“We think we’ve improved as a football team, and we’re going to find out on Sunday, because this is a measuring stick right here. We’ll see if we’ve improved enough to beat New England.”

Fantasy Football Week 10 Start/Sit: Jets Edition

Check out Gang Green Nation for more Jets news and insight.

Jets Wednesday Injury Update: Plaxico Burress, Others Sit Out Practice

New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress missed practice Wednesday with the lower-back injury that hindered him last week, but did not stop him from playing in this past Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills. In that game, Burress recorded five receptions for 79 yards in a 27-11 Jets win.

Running back Joe McKnight also missed practiced with a toe injury, as did safety Brodney Pool with a knee injury.

Defensive lineman Marcus Dixon (shoulder) and linebacker Josh Mauga (low back) were both limited during Wednesday's practice.

Defensive tackle Mike Devito (knee), defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis (ankle), running back Shonn Greene (head, groin), wide receiver Santonio Holmes (foot), center Nick Mangold (ankle), linebacker Calvin Pace (groin), guard Matt Slauson (neck) and cornerback Isaiah Trufant (hamstring) were all full participants in the practice session.

Visit Gang Green Nation for complete Jets coverage throughout the season and our team page for schedules, statistics, news and more.

New York Jets (5-3) Vs. New England Patriots (5-3): Ryan Says 'It's Right In Front Of Us'