Jets Country

Jets' George Fant Doubtful to Play Against Dolphins

Conor McDermott will likely start if Fant is ruled out, sitting with a knee injury.

Max Goodman

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The Jets are getting some playmakers back from injury on Sunday against the Dolphins. Losing left tackle George Fant to a knee injury, however, could have just as much of an impact on this contest, in a negative way.

Listed as doubtful, Fant didn't practice at all this week. Head coach Robert Saleh said Friday that the lineman's status for Sunday is "on the fence."

If Fant can't go—sitting for the first time this season—then Conor McDermott would likely get the start in his place. This is, of course, a result of Mekhi Becton's injury-plagued season as well. The former first-rounder hasn't suited up since he went down with a knee injury of his own back in Week 1.

Losing a reliable left tackle is never a good thing, especially with a rookie quarterback looking to gather some momentum over the final few games of the season. In this case, with the Jets headed to Miami to face the Dolphins' blitz-heavy defense, New York could be in serious trouble. 

Miami blitzes 38.1% of the time, more than all but one other team this season. With extra pressure coming off the edge, McDermott will have his hands full and Wilson will need to get rid of the football quickly. 

Fant has allowed just one sack all season, per Pro Football Focus. Pass rushers like Jaelan Phillies (8.5 sacks this year) are poised to have a big day, taking advantage of a matchup with McDermott up front if Fant does in fact get ruled out. 

This will be Zach Wilson's first opportunity to face Miami's talented secondary as well. Joe Flacco was under center in Week 11 when these two teams played at MetLife Stadium. Flacco threw for 291 passing yards with two touchdowns in a 24-17 loss. He was sacked twice.

If Wilson can handle the pressure, make some plays out of the pocket and avoid mistakes, perhaps New York can surprise the surging Dolphins on the road. After all, rookie Michael Carter and veteran Tevin Coleman are coming back from injury, so the running game should have some extra juice on Sunday. 

It's going to be that much tougher for this offense to move the football without Fant, though. This would be just the fourth start of McDermott's five-year career. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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