Knee injury ends season for Jets safety Marcus Gilchrist
Jets safety Marcus Gilchrist chases San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. Gilchrist later suffered a season-ending knee injury. Credit: AP / Ben Margot
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Jets may have gotten the win, but they lost Marcus Gilchrist.
After Sunday’s 23-17 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers, Todd Bowles announced that the safety suffered a patellar tendon tear in his right knee and is done for the season.
Gilchrist, 28, suffered the non-contact injury while covering a kickoff in the third quarter. He immediately grabbed his right knee before team trainers and doctors hurried out to check on him. He was carted off the field.
Gilchrist, in his second year with the Jets, is responsible for relaying communication and the calls to members of the defense and lining up members of the secondary.
His injury wasn’t the only one.
Running back Matt Forte is scheduled for an MRI on Monday after suffering a right knee injury in the first quarter. Defensive back Buster Skrine (concussion) left the game late in the first half. Tight end Brandon Bostick (right ankle) was ruled out in the third quarter and tackle Brent Qvale (left hamstring) left late in regulation.
Forte said his injury occurred on the Jets’ second offensive series when a defender hit his knee and hyperextended it. Although he had swelling and the knee “felt a little weird,” he chose to stay in after getting checked out by team doctors.
“But then it just didn’t feel right,” said Forte, who was able to carry the ball only three times for 8 yards. “So I had the doctors check it out again. I had a lot of clicking and popping on the outside of my knee.”
Forte battled knee injuries in previous seasons with the Bears, including an MCL sprain, but he said the right knee hadn’t suffered any ligament damage in the past.
“This isn’t an MCL. My ligaments are good,” said Forte, who had shouldered the load of the Jets’ rushing attack to this point. “It has something to do with the clicking and the popping that’s going on in there. I don’t know what that is, but they said my ligaments are intact.”
With recent re-signee Khiry Robinson inactive, Forte’s absence meant more playing time for Bilal Powell. He made the most of his opportunity, rushing for 145 yards and both of the Jets’ touchdowns on 29 carries.
Said Forte: “Bilal has been working hard every week, and it shows.”
