NFL

Revis, Keller, Thomas out for Jets against Steelers

MISSING PIECES: With Darrelle Revis (top), Dustin Keller (bottom) and Bryan Thomas sidelined, the Jets will look to others to step up vs. the Steelers. (
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Gang Green are looking more like the Red Cross.

The Jets will limp into Pittsburgh tomorrow minus All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis and two other key pieces, tight end Dustin Keller and linebacker Bryan Thomas.

On the bright side, the Steelers also will be limping when they greet the Jets at Heinz Field in the wake of Pittsburgh media reports that the hard-hitting defensive duo of James Harrison (knee) and Troy Polamalu (calf) won’t play, either, despite being listed as questionable on the official injury report.

The Jets, though, didn’t appear to take much solace in the Steelers’ health woes because their own are too disconcerting — Revis is the heart of coach Rex Ryan’s defense and is widely considered the best corner in football, while Keller is Mark Sanchez’s most reliable weapon.

Revis suffered what the Jets describe as a mild concussion in the second half of last week’s 48-28 rout of the Bills when he was accidentally kicked in the head by teammate Bart Scott.

Revis will miss just the third game of his six-year NFL career because of health reasons after the combination of a team physician and an independent neurologist refused to clear him for contact this weekend. Clearance from the independent doctor is now mandatory under the league’s toughened concussion policy.

Ryan said the Jets were merely “following NFL protocol” in not allowing Revis to play.

Hopes were raised yesterday morning when Revis was allowed to practice on a limited basis for the first time all week, but Ryan announced after the workout that Revis — a Pittsburgh-area native — won’t be allowed to make the trip back to his hometown. That restriction was added because of concern the flight could aggravate Revis’ symptoms.

Speaking after yesterday’s practice but before he was ruled out, Revis said he had no problem with the Jets and the league being careful with his recovery.

“It’s my head,” Revis said. “It’s a head injury, and I’ve got to do the best I can to make sure I’m healthy first. The team does, as well. Everybody’s looking out for my best interest, and that’s the focus here — to make sure I’m 100 percent before I step [back] on the field.”

Kyle Wilson, the Jets’ 2010 first-round pick and their current third corner, will start in Revis’ place alongside Antonio Cromartie against the potent receiver combination of Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown.

Another corner, Isaiah Trufant, is questionable because of an ankle injury, so the Jets possibly could have just three healthy cornerbacks in uniform — Wilson, Cromartie and Ellis Lankster. Ryan, though, said Trufant will play, and the Jets also expect safety Eric Smith to be available.

“What we’ve always said is, the guys that are stepping up have to maintain that level or even a little better [than the player they’re replacing],” Ryan said. “In this case, we’ll take a little less with the Darrelle Revis deal.”

Revis sounded sluggish and barely spoke above a whisper after practice yesterday. He said he “felt good” during his limited time in practice, but the veteran still appears unnerved by the first concussion of his life.

“I never even paid attention to concussions in the past,” Revis said. “This is a new thing for me. I’m going about it the best way I can. I’m learning new things about concussions, and I’m going from there.”

Keller, meanwhile, will sit against the Steelers after aggravating a preseason hamstring injury in practice Wednesday and missing the week’s final two workouts.

The dropoff with backups Jeff Cumberland and Konrad Reuland could be steep, which explains why the Jets brought back tight end Dedrick Epps yesterday. Epps was signed off the Bears’ practice squad after getting released by the Jets in the preseason.

Thomas also is being sidelined by a hamstring injury, and Ryan said Garrett McIntyre is slated to replace him against the Steelers.

“It really is about the decal on the side of the helmet, and we play a team brand of football,” Ryan said. “When somebody goes down, somebody has to replace them.”