The NY Jets failed to win their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, losing by a final score of 32-19. During the game, starting slot cornerback Michael Carter II was knocked out in the second half with an apparent injury.

The Jets provided an update shortly after, calling it an ankle injury and listing him as questionable to return. Carter never returned to the field, leading to some concern about his status going forward.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters after the game that Carter had re-injured the same ankle that caused him to miss weeks of summer training camp. The good news, however, is that it doesn’t appear to be serious.

Saleh told reporters that Carter could have returned to the game, but the Jets sidelined him as a precaution. His status is worth monitoring this week, but Carter appears to have avoided a serious injury. Brandin Echols would start in his place if Carter is unable to play next week.

What happened to Sauce Gardner?

Jets fans were stunned when star cornerback Sauce Gardner left the field for a handful of plays late in the first half. Initial assumptions were that Gardner’s absence was due to an injury, but the Jets confirmed to ESPN that he was not sidelined for a medical reason.

Gardner was spotted kneeling on the sideline with his helmet in his hand before eventually returning to the field. Saleh was asked after the game about Gardner’s confusing absence and he revealed that his star cornerback was simply trying to catch his breath.

Gardner said he was knocked out of his breath during a tackle he made and had trouble breathing for a few minutes. There was no official injury designation, which is why the Jets’ public relations department told ESPN it was not a medical situation.

So there you have it. Gardner’s bizarre absence has a fairly simple explanation. The conspiracy theories can be debunked.

Breece Hall apologizes for his performance

Monday night wasn’t Breece Hall’s best game as a member of the Jets. The star running back was held back by a stingy 49ers defense for most of the night and committed a costly fumble in the first quarter that led to San Francisco’s first points of the game.

Hall finished with just 54 yards on 16 carries for a disappointing average of just 3.4 yards per carry. He added five catches for 39 yards in the air and scored a touchdown, but it was hardly Hall’s best performance.

The former second-round pick told reporters after the game that he apologized to Aaron Rodgers for not playing to his potential. Rodgers apparently told Hall not to worry about it and that there was still a lot of football to be played.

It’s encouraging to see Hall take responsibility after a challenging game for the Jets on both offense and defense. Rodgers is right, though — it’s only one game.