What La'Mical Perine's Ankle Injury Means For the Jets
La'Mical Perine scored the second touchdown of his NFL career on Sunday, taking his first carry of the game against the Chargers to the house from five yards out.
Even with Frank Gore still shouldering much of the load out of the Jets' backfield, the early score could've resulted in Perine getting more touches than usual in Los Angeles.
Instead, the rookie running back was on the field for only 10 more snaps against the Chargers, exiting the game early with an ankle sprain. The next day, Jets head coach Adam Gase revealed the severity of the injury.
"He’s got a high-ankle sprain," Gase said Monday on a conference call with reporters. "So, obviously that’s going to be a little longer than what Chuma [Edoga] has, which is a low-ankle sprain."
On Tuesday, Perine was officially placed on the injured reserve, meaning the running back will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks. Kicker Sam Ficken also landed on the IR.
READ: Jets Nearly Capture First Win of Season, Can't Catch Up to Justin Herbert's Chargers
After New York had steadily increased Perine's usage, his number of carries per game has plateaued over the past several weeks. His season-high remains 40 yards on the ground over 11 carries in Week 7 against the Bills.
With the Florida product set to miss the next few weeks, that means Jets fans should brace themselves for more Gore.
Gore, 37, has led New York in rushing yards in all but two games this season. Without Perine, the veteran will surely add several opportunities to continue climbing on the all-time rushing yards list (and attempt to help pave the way to the Jets first win of the season).
READ: Frank Gore Grapples With Winless Jets Finishing 0-16; 'I Can't Go Out Like That'
Third on the depth chart behind Gore and Perine is second-year back Ty Johnson. Johnson started this season with Detroit but has played in five games for New York so far. He's rushed for 57 total yards on six carries and has caught five passes for 23 yards out of the backfield.
New York announced on Tuesday that running back Josh Adams had been signed off the practice squad for additional depth. Adams was active for the first two games of the season with the Jets, scoring a touchdown in Week 1 against Buffalo.
Beyond the running game, and regardless of which Jets quarterback is under center, Perine's absence could open to the door to an even heavier dosage of passes per game. Something to look out for when it comes to using any of New York's starting wide receivers in fantasy football next weekend and beyond.
Over the last two games, running routes with Joe Flacco at quarterback, the trio of Jamison Crowder, Denzel Mims and Breshad Perriman have combined for over 140 yards receiving and 15-plus targets. Forget the first half against Los Angeles, the second half featured a constant barrage of passes down the field to those three, especially Mims.
Sam Darnold may be able to come back from his right shoulder injury in Week 12. Either way, with an 0-10 record, it makes sense to air it out and test what these wide receivers are capable of.
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