OPINION
KEYS TO VICTORY: HOW JETS CAN BEAT BRONCOS IN DENVER
Date: 07/10/2023
Author: DAVID WYATT-HUPTON
OPINION
There is no such thing as a moral victory in the NFL, but there is a productive loss. The Jets falling to the Kansas City Chiefs was disappointing and frustrating, but it also offered fans a glimpse of the team’s potential and supplied a reason for hope.
Zach Wilson enjoyed arguably the best game of his Jets career, completing 71.8% of his passes with two touchdowns and a rushing 2-point conversion. The new-look offensive line looked like a unit capable of dominating the opposition.
Now we need to find consistency in performance.
Following the game against Kansas City, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said that if Zach Wilson plays like he did against the Chiefs, we’re going to win a lot of football games. I think that’s a sentiment that we can all agree with, but it’s not just on Zach.
The offensive line needs to play with consistency, the coaches need to be consistent, the defence needs to consistently force turnovers and make the opposition uncomfortable.
Coming away with a victory is imperative and motivation won’t be in short supply.
Not only will the Jets have an opportunity to close back in on that .500 mark before the Philadelphia Eagles come to town, but they’ll have the chance to prove that the performance against the Chiefs wasn’t a one off.
Denver has problems of its own. They’re one late and improbable comeback against the Bears away from being 0-4, but find themselves 1-3 and coming off their first victory of the season.
The game could present another opportunity for the Jets offence to click. The Miami Dolphins dropped 70 points on Denver in week three, and Justin Fields had a career day last week passing for over 330 yards and four touchdowns.
The Broncos have only managed to keep one team under 25 points this year, and that came in a 17-16 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on opening weekend.
Denver’s defence ranks dead last in the NFL with 37.5 points allowed per game on average and 461.5 total yards on average. Part of the issue for the Broncos is the inability to generate pressure on the opposing QB. As a unit, they generate pressure on just 14% of dropbacks, which is the worst mark in football, in comparison the Jets generate pressure on 26.5% of opposing QB dropbacks.
When you combine that pressure number with the fact the Broncos have only recorded three takeaways all season on defence, you start to understand why the team has experienced early season struggles.
Denver as a unit have also been called for 33 penalties on the season, only two other teams have given away more yardage through the first four weeks of the season (Cardinals, Panthers).
But this is the NFL. There are no easy games, and it’s important to expect the unexpected.The Broncos will be looking at the Jets and they’ll see that 1-3 record, and they’ll be looking at us in the same way we’re looking at them: a good way to get the season back on track.
Despite the struggles on defence, the Broncos are still a dangerous football team. As a unit they’re averaging 25 points per game and over 235 passing yards per game.
After a season to forget in 2022, Russell Wilson looks to be back to his best. The former Super Bowl winner is completing 67.4% of his passes with 9 touchdowns to 2 interceptions through four games and his 106.7 NFL passer rating is the highest of his career since 2018. So the Jets and their secondary need to be ready.
Part of Wilson’s resurgence is his ability to perform under pressure. Last year Denver’s QB completed just 43.5% of passes when pressured for three touchdowns and three interceptions, he was also pressured on 35.9% of his dropbacks.
This year, he’s actually getting pressured more (38.9% of dropbacks) but he’s completing 60% of his passes for four touchdowns and just the one interception. The Jets have the ability to be a high pressure team, and if he shows any regression to his 2022 numbers, New York will have opportunities to make some game-changing plays.
I’m not expecting an easy game in Denver by any stretch of the imagination, but I return to coach Saleh’s comments after the Kansas City game. If we play like that we’re going to win a lot of games. Sunday is a chance to go out and do it.
