It’s time for a New York Jets debut.
Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell is set to don the green and white colors for the first time this season. He was involved in the blockbuster trade that sent All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts.
Mitchell was inactive for the Week 10 contest against the Cleveland Browns. Head coach Aaron Glenn explained that he needed some more time to familiarize himself with the playbook. Now, Mitchell will get to show what he has learned against the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football in front of the entire country.
Mitchell has two and a half years remaining on his $7.3 million rookie contract.
The Jets insisted on Mitchell being in the trade. According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, if the Colts hadn’t included the talented pass catcher in the deal, a trade would have never been completed. Now it’s time to see what the buzz was all about from the Jets’ side.
With Garrett Wilson being placed on injured reserve, Mitchell is going to be expected to take on a heavy workload.
Mitchell, 23, was buried on the depth chart with the Colts. That won’t be a problem with the Jets. They don’t have that first-world problem in New York. The green and white are looking for someone to step up to the plate.
This will be Mitchell’s 26th NFL game of his career. He has been targeted 71 times, has caught 32 receptions for 464 receiving yards, and has averaged 14.5 yards per reception.
Mitchell has all the tools. He stands in at 6-foot-2 and weighs 205 pounds. At the NFL combine he ran a blazing 4.34 40-yard dash.
Colts wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne believes the thing Mitchell is missing is reps. If that is true, then the Jets should find out pretty quickly what they have in the former Texas product. If the green and white hope to upset the Pats, they will need some magic from their young wide receiver.
Gang Green took to social media to announce the inactives for the Patriots game in prime time.
That group included rookie cornerback Azareye’h Thomas, defensive lineman Braiden McGregor, running back Khalil Herbert, tight end Jelani Woods, and linebacker core special teamer Ja’Markis Weston.
Two key defensive cogs for the Jets were listed as questionable heading into Week 11.
Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and pass rusher Will McDonald were both up in the air for this contest. With both players listed as active, they will be good to go for this AFC East rivalry.
Phillips is dealing with a foot issue. He didn’t practice on Monday or Tuesday, but he was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday.
McDonald is dealing with a quad problem. He didn’t practice on Monday, but he was a limited participant in practice on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The former Iowa State product is coming off an impressive four-sack campaign. That is tied for the best single-game sack record in Jets franchise history.
“We may have lost tonight, but we’re fighting for each other, and we’ll keep pushing until we get it right. This team is built to battle, and we’re not backing down.”
— Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres Forward
The Buffalo Sabres may have suffered their fourth consecutive loss in regulation, but don’t let the final score fool you—this team is far from defeated. Despite falling 6-3 to the Colorado Avalanche, the Sabres showed they have the heart to compete with the best, and their resilience is something no one should underestimate.
It all started with a nightmare first period: just 52 seconds into the game, Martin Necas put the Avalanche on the board with a breakaway goal, followed by Artturi Lehkonen’s goal five minutes later. The Sabres were reeling, and head coach Lindy Ruff knew he had to act fast. He pulled starting goalie Alex Lyon, bringing in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in hopes of shifting momentum. The move worked.
“Taking the goalie out was to buy me some time and talk to the team for a second, to get organized and say, ‘We’re going to get back in this game,’”
Ruff said. “And I thought we did. Had nothing to do with Lyon.”
The change sparked the Sabres. Within minutes, Bowen Byram got them on the board, and then Jordan Greenway, with his first goal of the season, tied it up after a beautiful chip-in from Owen Power. The Sabres’ response was strong, with some of their best offensive play of the season.
But despite their efforts, the Avalanche’s relentless attack was too much to overcome. Buffalo tied the game late in the second period on a power play goal from Tage Thompson, marking a significant moment for the team after struggling with the man advantage.
“We changed things around, we moved the puck quicker, we were a lot more direct,” Ruff said about the revamped power play. “That’s a lot of pressure on two young kids to play on the power play, but I thought they did a good job.”
Yet, just over a minute later, the Avalanche took the lead once again with a deflection goal by Gavin Brindley, and the Sabres couldn’t recover. Necas added another goal for Colorado, followed by an empty-netter from Gabriel Landeskog to seal the victory for the league-leading Avalanche.
Despite the loss, there’s no denying the fight this team showed, especially from Thompson, who was moved to the first-line center position. With 11 faceoff wins and a two-point effort, Thompson’s performance sparked the Sabres’ offensive push.
“I felt like myself; felt way better in the middle,” Thompson said after the game. “I thought I was moving my feet really well. For me, I like being in the middle. You can carry the puck and kind of dictate the pace of the game.”
“We may have lost tonight, but we’re fighting for each other, and we’ll keep pushing until we get it right. This team is built to battle, and we’re not backing down.”
Thompson’s words carry weight, and fans should take notice. The Sabres may have fallen short on the scoreboard, but their fight, grit, and determination are exactly what will carry them forward.
Next up, the Sabres are heading to Detroit, where they’ll look to turn their fortunes around against the Red Wings. It’s not just about wins—it’s about proving to the league that the Sabres are a team to be reckoned with. And if they keep fighting like this, they’re bound to break through.
“We’ve been fighting it a little bit the past couple of games, so, yeah, two points would’ve been huge for us,” said Greenway after the game. “Couldn’t find a way to do it, so we’ve got to move on to Detroit.”
This is a team that’s hungry for success, and they’re not backing down. Keep an eye on the Buffalo Sabres—they’ve got plenty of fight left in them.