EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- 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 -- one that probably had fantasy football owners screaming at their televisions.

Ivory, who missed two days of practice with a strained quadriceps, said he could've played. After pre-game warmups, he was deemed well enough to dress as the No. 3 running back, but not well enough to play.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 58 times against the Eagles, which wasn't a formula for success in the Jets' first loss of the season. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

"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."

The Jets missed him -- badly.

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, but that was no excuse for the lack of efficiency. The offensive line struggled against the Eagles' stout run defense, and there were very few yards after contact, Ivory's specialty.

"He warmed up and he could he could play," Bowles said of Ivory. "He missed a lot of practice time during the week. We thought it would be better to go with the two other guys to make sure he was full speed next week."

The decision was a little unusual. Most coaches live in a one-week-at-a-time world, worrying about next week next week. The Jets think highly of Powell and they traded a seventh-round pick for Stacy -- two veteran backs -- but they provided no juice against the Eagles.

"They loaded the box," Ivory said, "and we didn't have an answer for it."

The answer was on the sideline.