Oh Mo! Injury hurts

In the rain and wind, Jeremy Kerley dropped a punt late in the fourth quarter with the Jets down 22-20. The Falcons took over at the Jets’ 13-yard line and added a field goal.

John Morton abandoned the run despite the weather conditions. Matt Forte received just four carries all afternoon, and the RB sounded off on his OC afterward.

When adversity kicks in, you’ve got to fight as hard as you can against all odds and win that game. I’m angry that we lost those games and I know everyone else is angry, because it’s frustrating. We’re frustrated. The fans are frustrated. It’s just tough because you see those flashes and you’re like, ‘Wow.’ We just need to sustain those flashes.

FOR two-and-a-half quarters Sunday, Morris Claiborne followed Julio Jones from sideline to sideline and rendered the Falcons’ star receiver a virtual non-factor. But Claiborne left the eventual 25-20 Jets loss with a foot injury midway through the third quarter. And on the very next play for the Falcons, the first snap after a Gang Green punt, Jones made his mark on the game, hauling in a 53-yard pass on a first-down play action pass from Matt Ryan. Atlanta capped the drive with a field goal that cut the Jets’ advantage to one point. The Falcons took the lead on their next possession. “He wasn’t in there, and Julio made a play,” Todd Bowles said. “We have to play better.”

Claiborne didn’t return, but he said after the game that X-rays showed his foot is “definitely not broken.” He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI Monday. The Jets next play the Bills Thursday. “It’s a short week,” Claiborne said. “I’m going to try to do everything in my power to be on the field.”

With No. 2 corner Buster Skrine sitting with a concussion, Juston Burris was forced into action in the second half and missed a tackle on a pivotal 52-yard run from Tevin Coleman that set up the Falcons’ game-winning touchdown.

Second-year wide receiver Robby Anderson broke out for his first-career 100-yard receiving game in Sunday’s loss. Anderson caught a 24-yard touchdown in the first half, beating cornerback Desmond Trufant off the line of scrimmage with a shimmy move. Later, the former undrafted free agent out of Temple made a circus catch on a 32-yard reception down the left sideline.

CALM KEARSE

Kearse offered a thoughtful response to Texans owner Bob McNair, who was quoted as saying, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison,” during the owners-players meeting in New York last Tuesday. “It’s definitely frustrating to hear that,” Kearse said. “You try to not react in an irresponsible way because your first emotions want you to respond a certain way. But then I think to myself, that’s exactly how they want us to respond. And so, like I said about (Donald) Trump’s comments, when you call a bunch of NFL players SOBs, it’s a distraction. It’s a distraction trying to distract us from what we’re so far accomplishing. I feel like we’re taking the necessary steps to make change, and it’s a distraction to try to veer us away from that, and at the end of the day, we’ve got to stay together and stay focused on the issue and not what somebody said, because that’s what it’s all about.” ... Muhammad Wilkerson recorded his first sack of the season Sunday. Leonard Williams hit Ryan twice, but remains without a sack through eight games. Josh McCown’s unit started hot but faltered in the second half and down the stretch once again. Kept the explosive Atlanta offense in check for most of the contest. But when it mattered most, the ‘D’ didn’t make enough plays.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Chandler Catanzaro missed 2 FGs and Jets lost by five. Only reason this isn’t an F is because Lachlan Edwards played an outstanding game.