Aug 26, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis (93) during the second half of their game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Jets 17-12. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

A couple of key guys will be missing in action for the Jets in Seattle this Sunday.

Rex Ryan announced today that both DL Kenrick Ellis and RB Joe McKnight have been ruled out, and won’t make the trip to Seattle for the game on Sunday. These will both be big losses on Sunday. We know how important McKnight is with his explosiveness out of the backfield and in the return game. Bilal Powell will be back at RB, and the kick return duties will be shared, we have heard, between Antonio Cromartie and Clyde Gates.

Kenrick Ellis will be a big loss as well, as he is a body that was important defending against the run, and we all know how the Seahawks can run the football. Sione Po’uha will play, but has been hampered by injury all season. Maybe this will be the week we finally get to see a bit more of Damon Harrison. It would certainly seem like the right time, I guess we will find out soon enough.

Oct 28, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Joe McKnight (25) runs with the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

A couple of injuries notes for you, off of Rex Ryan’s morning press conference.

Kenrick Ellis and Joe McKnight, both still hobbled by injuries sustained in the first half of the season, will not practice today for the Jets. Of particular note is McKnight, who is still bothered by that high ankle sprain. The feeling coming out of Rex’s morning press conference is that McKnight is unlikely to play against the Seahawks on Sunday. If true, that would be a big loss against a very tough defense. We haven’t gotten a good sense as to Kenrick’s status for Sunday.

Although inititally announced to be missing practice yesterday, linebacker Bart Scott was limited, and he will be limited again in practice today. His status is still up in the air for Sunday’s game. Rex did announce, however, that S Eric Smith, recovering from his knee injury, will be available for Sunday’s game. Although farther down the depth chart at safety, he has been a useful cog in the special teams unit, so his availability will help.

July 27, 2012; Cortland, NY, USA; New York Jets defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis (93) looks on during training camp at SUNY Cortland. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

Finally, some good news to report to the New York Jets fans.

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News is reporting this afternoon that Kenrick Ellis will not face any discipline from the NFL following his “Alford” plea on his assault case.

For anyone who forgot, Ellis spent time in prison this summer after taking an “Alford” plea stemming from his 2010 assault case while in college. Had he not taken a plea, he would have faced possible deportation if he had been convicted.

This is great news for the Jets, who as we all know, have been decimated with injury, and poor play to date. The defense has looked quite good, so we didn’t need any losses on that side of the ball.