Bowles: Chris Ivory could have played

The New York Jets' running game crashed Sunday at MetLife Stadium, and one of the eyewitnesses was Chris Ivory.

The Jets' leading rusher was active for the 24-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but he spent the entire afternoon on the sideline, looking spiffy in the team's all-white uniforms. He never got into the game, not a single play, a curious decision by coach Todd Bowles.

"Early on, I didn't feel like I'd be well enough to be productive, but the more I got going and the warmer I got, I felt good," Ivory said. "I felt really good. But the decision was made. I was happy with it. I was happy with it [because] I don't want something lingering around most of the year. I was able to sit back and be the emergency back and get ready for next week."

Ivory, who missed two days of practice with a strained quadriceps, said he could've played. After pregame warmups, he was deemed well enough to dress as the No. 3 running back, but not well enough to play. Bowles added it was to make sure he was a full go next week. With no power back to operate their power scheme, the Jets' backs -- Bilal Powell and Zac Stacy -- were held to 33 yards on 10 carries. They had to abandon the running game after falling behind, 24-0.