Forgive battered New York Jets fans for assuming they'd seen the last of Nick Mangold as he was carted to the locker room with an ankle injury on Monday night.
Unlike star teammates Darrelle Revis and Santonio Holmes, Mangold survived the cart. He even returned to the game, which tells you a lot about the teammate he is.
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The question now becomes if Mangold will be on the field when the Jets host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at the Meadowlands. Coach Rex Ryan said Mangold won't practice Wednesday, via ESPN.com, but he's "hopeful" his All-Pro center will play Sunday. Mangold injured the same ankle that caused him to miss the only two games of his career last season.
Last season's injury was the dreaded high-ankle sprain variety. Ryan said Mangold avoided that issue this time, calling it a "regular ankle sprain."
In other Jets injury news, it's possible Mark Sanchez will finally get his favorite target back in Dustin Keller, who was scheduled to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. The tight end has seen his season blown up by a hamstring injury originally suffered in Week 3 of the preseason.
Wide receiver Stephen Hill (hamstring) was also set to practice on a limited basis, but Ryan said Keller is the more likely of the two to play against the Colts.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
