One injury can put a damper on an entire season. Such might be the case if there was any serious damage done with the leg injury sustained by Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson.

This report was updated shortly after the beginning of the second half:

Fred Jackson's injury was one of a few that spelled a downward spiral from a hot 5-2 start to a dismal 6-10 finish last year.

Hi-res-6565420_crop_exact Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE
Jackson was on pace to lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage last year before a broken fibula ruined his season. As we saw against the Jets on Sunday, Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't the type of quarterback who can carry the load for the offense. In fact, the Bills only score of the first half came on a 56-yard touchdown run by running back C.J. Spiller.

Okay, so perhaps the injury to Jackson doesn't completely ruin the Bills' chances this year, if Spiller continues to play the way he did against a stout Jets defensive line (14 rushes, 169 yards, touchdown), but the Bills can't afford him turning the ball over, as he did in the first half. He had five fumbles on just 154 touches as a rookie, but only two on 165 touches in his second year.

Will the Bills offense be OK without Fred Jackson in the lineup?

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Speaking of 2011, Spiller was the one who picked up the load for the Bills offense last year, rushing 86 times for 446 yards (5.19 yards per carry) and three touchdowns in the final six games of the year, adding 24 receptions for 187 yards and two more touchdowns. 

If Fitzpatrick's Week 1 performance is any indication, they'll need to get production out of the running game.

 

Erik Frenz is the AFC East lead blogger for Bleacher Report. Be sure to follow Erik on Twitter and "like" the AFC East blog on Facebook to keep up with all the updates. Unless specified otherwise, all quotes are obtained firsthand.