It should come as no surprise that Chris Ivory, whose brawny long-distance rushes were a key part of our 26-20 home triumph over New Orleans on Sunday, has been nominated for the second time in three weeks for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week award.
Ivory, who won the FedEx award for his bruising 34-carry, 104-yard game in the win over the Patriots, had long runs of 27, 52, 30 and 11 yards plus a 3-yard touchdown run in his 18-carry, 139-yard showing against the Saints. He became the first Jet since the 1970 merger with three runs of 25-plus yards in the same game, and similarly the first Jet since '70 with three runs of 20-plus yards in the same home game.
"We know if Chris is healthy, this young man has the ability to be a punch-you-in-the-face type of back," head coach Rex Ryan said after the victory. "He has speed, he has vision, and he runs with power. To complement him with Bilal Powell, those two guys really do a great job for us."
Powell was nominated for the award but didn't win after our Week 3 success against the Buffalo Bills.
Ivory's competitors for the weekly award are Chicago's Matt Forte and Tennessee's Chris Johnson. FedEx is asking fans to weigh in on who they think had the best performance by casting votes at nfl.com through 3 p.m. ET Friday.
Here are the five Jets backs who have had three runs of 20-plus yards in a game since 1970:
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