Quincy Williams suffers shoulder injury in potential Jets worry

TAMPA, Fla. — The major injury news was half bad for the Jets. 

While linebacker Quincy Williams suffered a shoulder injury late in the first half and did not return to the game, cornerback Sauce Gardner passed his concussion check on the sideline and hurried back onto the field for the helpless final two plays before the Buccaneers kicked the walk-off field goal that sent the Jets to a 29-27 defeat. 

“I’m straight,” Gardner said. “I went back in because I passed.” 

Williams was flying all over the field during a first half when most of his teammates looked listless.

He had four tackles, a half-sack and the only two quarterback hits for the Jets before heading back to the locker room with 52 seconds remaining in the second quarter. 

Head coach Aaron Glenn did not have a postgame update on his prognosis. 

Gardner missed most of the fourth-quarter roller-coaster ride theatrics while in the injury tent, and his presence might have made a difference with better timing.

He still was on the sideline as Baker Mayfield completed a 28-yard pass to Emeka Egbuka and a 20-yard pass to Sterling Shepard to set up the game-winning field goal. 

Gardner returned to “defend” a 1-yard run and a kneel-down.

His primary matchup throughout the game — Mike Evans (hamstring) — also was sidelined in crunch time. 

“We have to stop coming up short,” Gardner said. “I didn’t even know where the kick sticks were at when I came in.” 

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About those kick sticks … the Jets were trying to prevent the Buccaneers from reaching the 40-yard line (58-yard field goal) for Chase McLaughlin’s range, Jamien Sherwood told The Post. 

“We just have to be better. Simple,” Sherwood said. “Can’t get beat. Got to own our leverage. Got to make plays on the ball. Got to get the ball out and do our job at the end of the day.” 

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Todd Bowles often had to explain decisions that went wrong after a loss as Jets head coach (2015-18). 

It was easier to explain his thinking on the winning side. 

Leading 26-20, the Buccaneers put the offense on the field for fourth-and-1 after the two-minute warning.

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Mayfield barked out signals trying to draw the Jets offside until the play clock expired. 

Then Bowles brought out McLaughlin to try a 43-yard field goal that was blocked and returned for a touchdown.

Did those 5 yards surrendered make a difference? 

“It was the right thing to do when we had the fourth-and-1,” Bowles said. “That would’ve put us up by nine. It would have been hard for them to win the game. I wasn’t looking for the block. That can’t happen.” 

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Left guard John Simpson took the blame for Tyrod Taylor’s strip-sack fumble caused by an Antoine Winfield Jr. blitz and for Taylor’s throw on a pick-six. 

“The two pressures were on me and I take that,” Simpson said. “I have to do a better job and hone in on the details. Other than that, I feel like we did a pretty good job up front. Those were two of the biggest plays in the game.”