Breakdown: Petty hurts his left knee
Bryce Petty was playing arguably the best football of his NFL career. Then his left foot got caught under backup lineman Ben Braden. His knee buckled. He crumpled to the turf and grabbed the joint before sitting up and staring straight ahead. Trainers rushed onto the field.
After several minutes, Petty walked off the MetLife Stadium field on his own, but his Saturday night was done. The 26-year-old former fourth-round pick had completed 15 of 18 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns, compiling a perfect 158.3 passer rating while leading the Jets on a furious second-half comeback against the Giants in preseason action.
Gang Green trailed 29-3 at halftime when Petty replaced Christian Hackenberg. That deficit was seven points when Petty left with his knee injury at the two-minute warning. On this night, though, Petty would not get the opportunity to lead his team on a game-tying drive. Petty will have an MRI Sunday to determine the severity of the left knee injury. But he offered an ominous prognosis for himself in the locker room after the Jets’ 32-31 loss.
“It kind of felt weird,” Petty said. “It felt loose, which is not something you want to feel as an athlete.”
Petty was adamant that he’s “not concerned.” However, when he tried to test the injury by shuffling sideways on the sideline after leaving the game, his knee gave out and he hunched over in pain. “Just not stable,” a dejected Petty said. “So, unfortunate.”
Todd Bowles was impressed with Petty’s performance. “He came in and made some throws,” Bowles said. “He rallied the troops. They rallied around him, and he had a good ball game.”
LEO’S SCARE: Leonard Williams left in the second quarter Saturday with a sprained left wrist. He had X-rays after the game, according to Bowles, and those came back negative. Williams wore a large wrap on his wrist while watching the remainder of the game on the sideline. He did not have the wrap on in the Jets locker room after the contest.
Linebacker Spencer Paysinger hurt his leg. CB Morris Claiborne (shoulder), S Rontez Miles (eye laceration), TE Jordan Leggett (foot), LB Lorenzo Mauldin (back), TE Jason Vander Laan (shoulder) all didn’t dress.
GMEN INJURY REPORT: Giants receivers Odell Beckham Jr. (left ankle sprain), Brandon Marshall (left shoulder), Tavarres King (right ankle sprain) and Dwayne Harris (upper-body) sat out, as did linebackers Keenan Robinson (concussion) and Mark Herzlich (stinger) and corner Michael Hunter (concussion).
Beckham was not on the sideline for the game. Ben McAdoo said Beckham and Marshall both received treatment. Beckham reportedly is in jeopardy of missing the Giants’ Week 1 opener in Dallas on Sept. 10.
Several Giants also got banged up, most notably starting corner Eli Apple (ankle), who had missed last Monday’s game in Cleveland with an ankle injury and now has injured the other ankle, per McAdoo.
Also injured were running back Shaun Draughn (concussion, neck) in his preseason debut, DT Jay Bromley (sprained left knee), safety Duke Ihenacho (knee), offensive lineman Adam Gettis (foot), and defensive end Evan Schwan (left foot/ankle).