Deactivated members on the Jets roster each week often watch the game from the sideline in sweatsuits. Thursday night, in the Jets' final home game and their only primetime game on the 2022 schedule, the inactives may opt for wetsuits.
But despite the steady, cold rain expected to fall on the Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium, all the active players may enjoy a splash in the Meadowlands with a couple of Jets starters who have been activated after a week-plus on the shelf.
Wide receiver Corey Davis, who missed a game and a half in the NFL's concussion protocol, is ready to return to action and aid WRs Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore and Braxton Berrios as targets for the passes of Zach Wilson, making his second consecutive start and ninth this season as the Jets quarterback and trying to jumpstart the Jets from three straight losses and their 7-7 record to three straight wins and a possible AFC playoff berth.
Zach Wilson and the offense will be without two other receivers who were injured on Sunday against Detroit, Denzel Mims (concussion) and Jeff Smith (knee). But the second-year QB will also be able to play pitch-and-catch with his tight ends, C.J. Uzomah, who caught two TD passes from him Sunday, and Tyler Conklin, who, when he's not converting direct-snap third-and-1 rushes, has caught 46 passes for 425 yards and three touchdowns.
It also may interest fans to know that the Lions matchup was Uzomah's third two-TD game of his career. The first came last year when, as a member of the Bengals, Uzomah had five catches for 95 yards and a pair of scores against none other than the visiting Jaguars.
See the players arriving for the Week 16 primetime game against the Jaguars.
Also active for the Jets Thursday is DL Quinnen Williams, whose career-best and Pro Bowl season was interrupted for a game and a half with his calf pull at Buffalo. Williams is back and ready to pick up where he left off with his personal bests of 11 sacks and 23 QB hits. He and the Jets' front four will want to get into a "violent" rotation in trying to bring heat against Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, who has turned the ball over 14 times this season, seven times by interception and seven by lost fumble.
However, starting S Lamarcus Joyner (hip) will miss his second game.
Also active for the Green & White will be two players elevated from the practice squad earlier today — S Will Parks, who ran the gamut last week from Jets active roster to unemployed to practice squad to elevation to starting assignment for the injured Joyner, and fourth QB Chris Streveler, the preseason late-game hero who's been active for one game this season, Game 8 vs. New England, but didn't play.
Lawrence, enjoying a strong second pro season leading the Jags to a 6-8 record, was listed during the short week of practice as limited on Tuesday and Wednesday with a toe injury and as questionable for this game, but not surprisingly, he is active and ready to try to even the score against the Jets and Wilson, who defeated him and his Jaguars at MetLife in Week 16 last year, 26-21.
Two key Jaguars declared out of this game with injuries: LT Cam Robinson, who had started every game this season and 58 of the last 61 games for the Jaguars, has been deactivated with a knee injury. And Folorunso Fatukasi, who built himself into a productive inside D-lineman and intense team leader before leaving the Jets as a free agent after last season, will miss the rematch with his former teammates due to an ankle injury.
These are the Jets' seven inactives:
- QB Mike White
- WR Denzel Mims
- WR Jeff Smith
- RB James Robinson
- CB Brandin Echols
- S Lamarcus Joyner
- TE Jeremy Ruckert
And this is the Jags' seven-man inactive list:
- WR Kendric Pryor
- CB Montaric Brown
- CB Gregory Junior
- LB Travon Walker
- LB De'Shaan Dixon
- T Cam Robinson
- DL Folorunso Fatukasi