On the field, Kenneth Darby, in his 10th practice with the team, took many of the snaps with the first team. Samkon Gado, in his first practice, was the backup. Coach Jim Haslett and offensive coordinator Al Saunders are simply dealing with the hand they have been dealt, and trying to make the best of it.

Jackson did not practice Thursday while Pittman got some work on the side.

Haslett said earlier in the week that Jackson would have to participate in at least one practice this week at full speed to be able to play Sunday. Asked what the game plan is for the running game, Haslett said, "I'm thinking right now that it's Darby and Sam are our two running backs. And then if the other three miraculously come around and play then we'll be better for it. That's how I'm going into it."

As for how successful he expects to be running the ball, Haslett said, "We're going to try to move the ball; we can only go with what we have. It'll be a great challenge for us, it really will. Our line is going to have to play well, our fullback has to play well, our receivers are going to have to block inside people on plays. We're going to try to give it the best we can and hopefully the running backs are good enough and they hold up and we gain some yards."

Making things even more difficult is that the Jets are fourth in the league in rushing yards allowed and average per attempt (3.1). Manning the middle is massive nose tackle Kris Jenkins, who Haslett said is "probably one of the most dominant guys in the league right now. The guy is an unbelievable force. Two, three guys can't block him, he stays in on passing situations, he's quick, he's powerful. To me he's one of the best players in the league right now that I've seen, and I think he's one of the better players in the league right now."

Quarterback Marc Bulger agreed, saying, "He could be the defensive player of the year. He is that good right now. He he is dominating guys."

Commenting on the rest of the defense, Bulger said, "They're young outside, but the kid that played at Pitt (cornerback Darrelle Revis), he's been playing awesome. The 3-4 scheme presents problems for us. They are sound and they don't make many mistakes. They're a solid defense."

Of course, Bulger knows being able to run the ball is necessary to develop consistency with the offense. With the inexperienced runners, Bulger said, "You have to simplify it for our young guys, but at the same time you can't go too simple because we don't know if they're going to put eight guys in the box, we don't know if there are just going to say, 'Hey, they have young guys at running back, we'll play Cover Two and stop the run and be able to stop the pass.' There's a lot of things you have to be ready for.

"I think with Steven back there, you know that it's going to be eight in the box, pretty much every week. With one of these guys, like I said, we're not sure, so it's going to put a lot of responsibility on our line. If we can get our running game going, you can dictate the defense a little bit, but it's going to be up to us to prove that we can get more than two yards a carry against them."

Undersized center Nick Leckey knows he has his work cut out for him against Jenkins. "It is paramount for me just to be able to get the job done because he is playing well. He is getting off the ball. He is penetrating, he is slanting and angling and stuff like that. He is doing some great things for sure."

Asked if having a low center of gravity might help, Leckey said, "I think it is important to get those first two steps into the ground and if you are lower than him, you do have a better chance of blocking him."

SERIES HISTORY: 12th regular-season meeting. Rams lead, 9-2. The Rams have won seven straight in the series, including a 2001 victory in New Jersey when backup running back Trung Canidate rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns. The only Jets wins in the series were in 1970 and 1983. The teams have played four times since the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995.