The Jets will need all hands on deck to get a win in Sunday night’s game in Baltimore, but they’re still not sure if their All-Pro center will be in the lineup.
During Friday’s press conference, Rex Ryan said that Nick Mangold will be a game-time decision thanks to his sprained ankle. Mangold is listed as questionable after limited participation in Friday’s practice.
“He’s a legitimate game-time. Not one of those, you really know what’s going to happen and say he’s game-time. He literally is game-time.”
Earlier this week, Ryan said that Mangold could play without practicing and also said that leaving Saturday, as opposed to leaving Friday last week for the game against the Raiders, would play into his decision about letting Mangold play. You’d imagine that the presence of Haloti Ngata in the middle of the Ravens line will also have something to do with the ultimate decision.
Colin Baxter would start in Mangold’s place and the undrafted rookie didn’t do an awful job in Oakland last week. The Jets did seem to miss Mangold’s ability to alter the team’s protection schemes at the line of scrimmage, however, as the Raiders poured on the pressure while taking over the game in the second half.