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New York Jets: Key starters injured during 31-10 win

ByMatthew Ordazzo|

It was a beautiful, warm and sunny afternoon in East Rutherford, New Jersey as the New York Jets opened the season up at home, against the Cleveland Browns. It was a back and forth first quarter, Cleveland threatened to be the first team to put up seven points on the board until quarterback Josh McCown made a bee-line for the end zone. Little did McCown know, a few Jet defenders were awaiting his presence. McCown was hit and fumbled the ball giving the Jets there first of many fumble recoveries of the day.

Johnny Manziel would enter the game in the first quarter as McCown was assisted to the locker room for concussion like symptoms. Manziel overall performed a lot better than anticipated, in my own opinion. He led the Browns to two scoring drives in the second quarter and put up 10 points for Cleveland.

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The Jets would answer right back with two touchdowns that quarter, one was a 10-yard run for a touchdown by Chris Ivory and the other, a 15 yard pass to Eric Decker.

Manziel also threw a pick-six to cornerback Marcus Williams in the second quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick also threw a pick-six to safety Tashaun Gipson, thankfully, Brandon Marshall was able to strip the ball immediately and saved the drive for Gang Green.

During the second half, the Jets’ defense we all anticipated had finally awakened, the Browns weren’t able to score a single point the rest of the game. The Jets’ defense forced four more fumbles and managed to put up an additional 17 points on the board by a second touchdown from Fitzpatrick to wide out Marshall, and a second rushing touchdown for Ivory.

It was an amazing game, Fireman Ed returned, the defense dominated, and head coach Todd Bowles received the game ball. Despite today’s tremendous performance, injuries struck Gotham like a bolt of lightning.

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie suffered a startling non-contact knee injury in the second quarter. Cromartie was carted off the field with a towel draped over his face hiding his emotions from the crowd. Cromartie was covering a Browns receiver while his knee appeared to have buckled or twisted, he immediately crumbled to the turf in excruciating pain.

It’s never a good thing when a player needs assistance from two trainers just to be able to walk off the field. Cromartie is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday to determine just how serious his injury is. Most-likely, Cromartie’s season is over, it’s not very often a player is carted off the field and then told you’ll be back soon.

Sep 13, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) lays on the ground in pain after injuring his knee during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

Another key starter who suffered an injury that scared all of Jets Nation was center Nick Mangold. Mangold thankfully did not suffer anything serious at all. Mangold went down on one knee after a play for about five minutes or so but managed to walk himself off the field. He returned back to the game shortly after and played the entire second half.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for rookie linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin. Mauldin was strapped onto a spinal board and immediately rushed to a local hospital as he apparently injured his head and knee during a second half sack on Manziel. The entire stadium fell into complete silence as medical personnel examined the rookie.

Mauldin reportedly was knocked unconscious on the play prior to being rushed to the hospital. He was later diagnosed with a concussion, there was no report of any neck injuries which was a blessing due to the extent of his injury. Fellow teammates said Mauldin was unconscious and unresponsive, there hasn’t been any further reports as to how serious Mauldin’s concussion was. His season just like Cromartie’s, is in serious jeopardy.

Despite the sudden and jaw-dropping injuries suffered during the Jets season opener, the team rallied together and worked as a cohesive unit. The Jets walked out of New Jersey with a 1-0 start to the regular season. Hopefully this victory is one of many more to come, the Jets have definitely worked harder than any other team to master their new offense and defense which paid off with a 31-10 victory.

Shades of the 2009 and 2010 Jets that made back to back AFC East championship appearances flashed MetLife Stadium. Next up, a Monday night matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Next: New York Jets: Team soars in spite of injuries

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