At some point toward the end of the second quarter of Sunday's game, it looked like the New York Jets might lose cornerback Sauce Gardner.

He grabbed his right leg and limped up after being called for pass interference while throwing a pass to Pittsburgh wide receiver George Pickens.

Luckily, the Jets' top cover corner returned to the game, resulting in a 37-15 loss for New York.

There were two other defensive backs who weren't quite as lucky.

The ongoing injury threat in New York's secondary reached a breaking point during the game as the Jets lost safety Tony Adams in the first half and safety Ashtyn Davis in the second half.

In addition, three starting defenders were missing for the game – safety Chuck Clark, cornerback Michael Carter II and cornerback DJ Reed, with the last one being declared inactive shortly before the game.

The Jets' defense has tons of issues right now, but their secondary could use healthier bodies as soon as possible.

Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich confirmed the injuries after the game. More updates will likely follow on Monday as the team begins preparing for New England on Sunday.

At one point in the second half, the secondary included Gardner, cornerback Brandin Echols, nickelback Isaiah Oliver, strong safety Jalen Mills and Davis, who entered the game at free safety.

Clark left the game late in the first half with what the Jets called a hamstring injury. At first he was questionable and later he was deemed doubtful by New York. He didn't return.

Davis suffered a concussion in the second half after taking a knee to the head during a tackle. That forced the Jets to dig even deeper into the depth chart. New York moved Oliver to safety and then brought Kendall Sheffield to nickel. Sheffield was called up from the practice squad before the game just to ensure the Jets had enough roster strength.

New York even used Jarrick Bernard-Converse after Gardner briefly left the game while taking his first defensive reps of the season. Previously, he had only played on special teams.

The Jets need to get healthy quickly with this group, but it comes in waves. Clark is on injured reserve and will be out of action for three weeks after suffering an ankle injury. Carter has had a back injury since the London game and has not trained. Reed suffered a groin injury last week and practiced limitedly this week. He could be the first to come back.