The Jets won’t have to travel too far in Week 8 even though they are officially on the road. They will stay at ‘home’ to face the Giants at MetLife Stadium in a battle for New York bragging rights.

And this game represents a key run for the Jets as they come out of their bye with renewed hope in the AFC East division race after both the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills lost last week. The next three contests offer a chance for the Jets to put together a run of form as they face the Giants, the Los Angeles Chargers at home and the Raiders in Las Vegas.

The Giants snapped a four-game losing streak last week when beating the Washington Commanders. But the 14-7 scoreline suggests they have yet to fix their offense, even though Saquon Barkley looked back to full strength at running back.

The Big Blue have averaged just 12.1 points per game in 2023 – fewest in the NFL. And they allow an average of 5.3 quarterback sacks per game – second-most in the league. This is a game in which the Jets should be able to stamp their authority on yet another opposing offense.

The likes of Pro Bowlers Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts have struggled against New York’s defense already this season. The Giants have looked livelier in the past couple of games with Tyrod Taylor under center but he is likely to struggle against the Jets defenders who do a very good job of bringing pressure without the need to blitz.

Offensively, the Jets just need a clean game and production from Breece Hall against what is a porous Giants defense against the run. That should be enough to secure Big Apple bragging rights for the fans decked in green and to have Robert Saleh’s team move above .500 for the season.

New York Jets Player to Watch

Quincy Williams – Linebacker… Already a star in New York, Jets linebacker Quincy Williams is starting to get some much-deserved national attention. In the opening six games of the season, Williams has proven himself to be a do-it-all defender, recording 60 tackles, two sacks, five pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. 

New York Giants Player to Watch

Saquon Barkley – Running Back… The Giants have really struggled to put points on the board this season and have not been helped by the absence of their Pro Bowl running back for three games with an ankle injury. Barkley showed his value to the Giants in last week’s win over Washington as he compiled a season-high 118 scrimmage yards and scored on a 32-yard catch and run. 

Stat Attack!

According to Next Gen Stats, the Jets have a 41.9 percent QB pressure rate in 2023 (3rd in NFL). The Jets also get home without blitzing with a pressure rate of 37.0 percent when not sending extra defenders (4th in NFL). Giants passers have been pressured on 109 dropbacks in 2023 – 3rd-most in the NFL.

Keys to the game

With limited threats at wide receiver, the Giants are going to lean heavily – as they always do – on running back Saquon Barkley, whether that be on the ground or in the passing game. Quincy Williams is going to be his usual active self in this game and if he can slow Barkley’s progress, who else will the Giants rely on?

Zach Wilson is going to need to handle some of Wink Martindale’s exotic and aggressive blitzing, but only if he and the Jets are forced into obvious passing situations. The preference would be to have a run-heavy game led by Hall, who is averaging 6.5 yards per rush this season – a pace which would see him set a new single season NFL record.

If the Jets are to start a post-bye week march to the playoffs, they absolutely need to win this type of game and I think they match up well across the board against the Giants. If they stay ahead of the chains on offense and play to form on defense, they should get the job done.

“Titans are bigger and stronger than Giants.”

Those were the words of owner Harry Wismer back in 1959 following the announcement of his new team in New York, participating in the upstart AFL. It was at that point that the battle for New York supremacy began.

Teams fought for the hearts, minds and wallets of New York sports fans, and while a rivalry on the field never really developed, there was certainly a commercial rivalry off the field. The Jets were the noisy neighbours, moving into the Giants territory and upsetting the apple cart.

But talk to any Jets or Giants fans now, and few would consider the other a real rival. For us, it’s all about the Bills, Dolphins and Patriots; for the Giants it’s all about the Eagles, Commanders and Cowboys.

When you play each other so infrequently, a rivalry is hard to sustain. But, despite it not being a heated rivalry, we always want to walk away from the game with bragging rights, and this year the Jets can use a victory against the Giants as a springboard for the second half of the season.

The first matchup between the teams came at Shea Stadium back in 1970 with the Giants running out 22-10 winners. With Joe Namath, Emerson Boozer and Matt Snell all missing the game, Jets fans might argue that the result comes with a heavy caveat.

That’s not to say there haven’t been marquee games in this “rivalry”.

For the final regular season game of the 1988 season, the Jets came in at 7-7-1 and with the playoffs out of the picture. The Giants on the other hand were 10-5, on a three game win streak and had the playoffs and the divisional title in their sights, needing a victory to secure both.

The Jets played the perfect spoiler that night. They sacked Giants QB Phil Simms 8 times on the way to a 27-21 win, knocking the Giants out of the playoff picture.

While the two teams met periodically over the years, you have to fast-forward all the way to 2011 to find the next marquee game that would be considered consistent with that of a rivalry.

Rex Ryan – who wasn’t shy in sharing his thoughts – wrote in his autobiography:

“When people ask me what it¹s like to share New York with the Giants, my response is always: I am not sharing it with them — they are sharing it with me.” And: “I have news for you: we are the better team. We’re the big brother. People might say they are the big, bad Giants, but we are not the same old Jets.”

“We are going to take over the town whether the Giants like it or not, so those fans on the fence that like both teams are going to be Jets fans in the end.”

For as much as Rex tried to stoke the flames, and for as difficult as it was to hear the stadium we played our games in referred to as “Giants Stadium”, the rivalry just simmered and never really exploded into the minds of the fans.

Even when Rex had the equipment staff tape up the Super Bowl logos of the Giants before the game, even after Rex and Brandon Jacobs exchanged words and almost more in the post-game environment, even with Fran Tarkenton tossing a ball at Larry Grantham and Earlie Thomas getting into a ruckus with Giants CB Kenny Parker, even with the Jets winning the first overtime sudden death contest in NFL history (1974) against the Giants remembered for Joe Namath hobbling into the endzone on his balky knees to score his first rushing touchdown since 1969, the Giants are just another team that we have to beat.

That being said: it’ll be nice to hold the bragging rights for at least a little while.

That 2011 matchup which resulted in a 29-14 Giants victory largely eliminated the Jets from the playoffs and the blue half of New York went on to win the Super Bowl by defeating the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady led Patriots.

So while the game might not constitute a ‘real rivalry’, in the way a divisional contest would, there’s evidence for how important the result can be, not just from a bragging rights perspective but in setting the team up for the rest of the season. As the Jets look to carry their pre-bye week momentum into the second ‘half’, a victory on Sunday would be sweet in more ways than one.

Four plays into the 2023 season and it was supposed to be all over for the New York Jets. Losing star quarterback Aaron Rodgers on his first drive in Gotham green was supposed to signal the death knell for one of the most fancied AFC teams heading into the new campaign.

If it was all over after Rodgers tore his achilles, no one told head coach Robert Saleh and his talented, tough and determined team. As they get some well-earned rest with their bye week this weekend, the Jets can hold their heads high and take that quick break in the knowledge that they are very much alive in the AFC playoff race.

Four of New York’s first six opponents were against high-quality playoff teams from a year ago, including both Super Bowl participants. Despite having to face Buffalo, Dallas, Kansas City and Philadelphia out of the gate, the Jets are well positioned at 3-3 – a record that points to a collective effort driven by great locker room spirit.

It also helps when you have one of the NFL’s best defences! I’ve always been quite a bit of a stats guy but the numbers lie when you look at the 2023 New York Jets on the defensive side of the ball. That unit ranks 22nd in the league in yards allowed per game (351.8) and 13th in points per game (19.8).

The eyeball test – coupled with making key plays in big spots – suggests those numbers are a total fallacy. Those key plays in big spots have driven recent wins against Denver in Week 5 (Bryce Hall scoring on a fourth quarter fumble return) and against Philadelphia in Week 6 (Tony Adams key interception on third down to set up Breece Hall’s game-winning touchdown run late in the fourth).

And it doesn’t get much bigger than facing the quarterback trio of Josh Allen (Buffalo), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City) and Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia). The Jets beat Allen and Hurts and were a couple of plays away from taking down the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

The combined numbers for that quarterback trio against the Jets D? They went 75 of 116 (64.6%) for 719 yards, three touchdowns and eight interceptions. That’s a combined rating of 61.7 – a mark that would be the lowest in the NFL this season if it were applied to a single player.

There are plenty of stars on defence. The secondary – led by All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner – continues to make life very difficult for opposing passing games and Jermaine Johnson already has two sacks in his second NFL season after recording two and a half sacks in all of 2022.

But the star of the defensive show has to be linebacker Quincy Williams, who demands our attention each and every week as he flies from sideline to sideline making key plays like knocking the ball out of Russell Wilson’s hand for a game-clinching scoop and score against Denver. In six games, Quincy has recorded 60 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He is a true team leader and as reliable as they come.

Offensively, the Jets have steadied the ship following the shock of losing Rodgers. Zach Wilson has thrown just one interception in his last four starts and has grown in confidence with more playing time, Garrett Wilson is on pace for a second straight 1,000-yard season at receiver and Breece Hall looks back to his explosive best a year on from his torn ACL.

Hall has been a driving force on the offensive side of the ball, carrying 66 times for 426 yards and two touchdowns. He is averaging 6.5 yards per rush and has already ripped off an 83-yard run against the Bills and a 72-yard scoring sprint against the Broncos. He is a true home run threat who can change games.

It’s been an absolute gauntlet of a schedule for the Jets – one in which even the great Aaron Rodgers would have been challenged – and they’re still standing! With back-to-back wins over Denver and Philadelphia in the books, the Jets now have the chance to build some momentum coming out of the bye.

They have winnable games coming up at the New York Giants, home to the Los Angeles Chargers and at the Las Vegas Raiders and it’s a key period that needs to be successful. Then come some tougher tests at Buffalo and home to the Miami Dolphins on Black Friday, but who knows what this team will look like by late November?

You saw who was throwing on the field before the win over the Eagles, didn’t you?

The bye week is a good opportunity to sit back and take stock of the season to date. The team has gone from the devastating injury to Aaron Rodgers just four snaps into the season, to sitting at 3-3 having beaten the heavily favoured Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. It’s been a season of momentum shifts, devastating injuries and pleasant surprises.

One of those pleasant surprises has to be the performance of Bryce Hall, the Jets 5th round pick out of Virginia back in 2020.

For many the fact that Hall was available in the 5th-round was a shocking surprise, as some outlets like CBS had released mocks with Bryce in the top-10 of the first-round, but an ankle injury his senior season caused his draft stock to plummet.

It’s rare in the modern NFL, where the passing game is king, that you have the opportunity to draft a player in the fifth round with the resume of Hall.

Over the course of four years at Virginia, the Pennsylvania native allowed just 48.9% of passes to be completed into his coverage with 5 interceptions and 31 passes broken up. In 2018, he was arguably the best cornerback in college football allowing 47.2% of passes his way to be completed with 2 interceptions and 18 passes defended.

When the Jets took him with the 158th pick in the draft, many saw it as a steal.

He allowed just 2 touchdowns during his rookie season, with 1 interception and 2 passes broken up. But it was a big learning curve for Hall who was still recovering from that ankle injury. He missed all of his rookie training camp and much of the early-season. But his play towards the backend of the 2020 season which included an interception of Jared Goff in the Jets 23-20 win over the Rams gave the team confidence to start Hall heading into 2021.

With a new coaching staff, new system and an opportunity for a full training camp, expectations were high for Hall heading into year two. His completion percentage against dropped from 75% to 59.1%, and while he did allow 6 touchdowns on 93 targets, he also put up 14 pass breakups, the third highest mark in football.

Following the arrival of Sauce Gardner through the draft and DJ Reed through free-agency, Hall’s role within the team changed. He was no longer an every down starter, and whilst that must have been disappointing, he attacked the situation rather than let it get him down. He had to stay patient and work on different areas of his game in practice, but that patience paid off in a big way.

Having seen the field for just 15 defensive snaps in 2022, Hall was called upon to start against Denver in week five this season following injuries to DJ Reed and backup outside corner Brandin Echols.

Not only did Hall allow just 12 yards through the air, he was also responsible for the scoop and score that sealed the game for the Jets following a Quincy Williams forced fumble. He scooped the ball right up against the sideline and took it to the house.

One week later, he was called on to start again, against one of the best offences in football in the Philadelphia Eagles, and again he came through with a big interception in the fourth quarter, whilst allowing only 50% of passes into his coverage to be completed.

Coach Saleh was asked about Bryce Hall following the game against Denver, about his patience, his work-ethic, and his adaptability. How a player reacted after going from starter to back-up, to not having played in over a year to sealing the game.

There’s no better way to finish this week’s column than with the quote in full.

“Yeah, Bryce Hall, I thought he did a really nice job. It was awesome for him to get his opportunity again, because it’s not easy, kind of in the same situation is Zach (Wilson) in the sense that he was the starting corner. Then we drafted Sauce (Gardner), we paid DJ (Reed). So, he had to take this backup role and he sat back. 

He learned, still did everything, prepared the way he needed to, did everything that was asked of him. Actually went from being a guy that Brant Boyer wanted nothing to do with on special teams to being a guy that he was like, “God, I can’t live without him”, where he needed Bryce out there. So, credit to him and the way he’s approached it as a pro and for him to get his opportunity. I think we were all confident that he was going to do pretty good and I thought he was outstanding yesterday.”

The New York Jets put an impressive, morale-boosting ‘W’ on the board last weekend with a 31-21 victory over the Denver Broncos in Colorado.

And now the goal is to secure back-to-back victories for the first time this season as Week 6 sees New York take on yet another formidable opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets have already faced three playoff teams from last season in the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs.

After beating Buffalo in Week 1 and running the Chiefs very close before losing by three in Week 4, the Jets will be aiming to take down the reigning NFC champion Eagles at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

While Philadelphia boasts glitzy skill-position stars such as quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown, any battle with the Eagles features heavy action in the trenches. In their victory over the Los Angeles Rams last weekend, Philly rushed for 159 yards, gave up just one sack and controlled the clock for close to 38 minutes. Defensively, the Eagles recorded four sacks, limited the Rams to 54 rushing yards and did not allow a point in the second half.

But New York’s win in Denver offers encouraging signs heading into this weekend. The Jets ran the football 32 times for 234 yards and one touchdown at an average of 7.3 yards per rush. And they made plenty of plays on defence, similar to the Eagles in LA. The Jets recorded four sacks, scored on a game-deciding fumble return by defensive back Bryce Hall and held the Broncos to just one touchdown in the second half.

More impressive than the statistics was the fact that the Jets rallied together as a team, determined to take down Sean Payton’s Broncos. They continue to play with great spirit and passion – qualities that can carry teams a long way in the NFL.

It won’t be easy against the Eagles, that’s for sure; but the Jets have the right mindset when it comes to taking on the NFL’s elite, with Bryce Hall telling me this week: “That’s life in the National Football League.”

New York Jets Player to Watch

Breece Hall – Running Back… It was a joy to watch Breece Hall have a massive day against the Broncos on the very field where he tore his knee ligaments last season. Hall – who rushed for 177 yards on 22 carries – might just be the most explosive running back in New York’s history. He averaged 8.0 yards per rush in Denver and showed his home run ability by scoring on a 72-yard sprint. Getting Hall going against the league’s stingiest run defence would be a real boost.

Philadelphia Eagles Player to Watch

Jalen Hurts – Quarterback… The Eagles are led by one of the very best players in the league in quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has won 22 of his last 23 regular season games and his last 11 on the road. Hurts has heated up as a passer in the last two weeks, topping 300 yards in beating the Washington Commanders and the Rams. And he remains one of the most patient and physical running quarterbacks in the game. Hurts has started 39 NFL games and has 50 touchdown passes and 30 touchdown runs to his name.

Stat Attack!

As good as he has been in the past 13 months, Jalen Hurts could give just enough chances to New York’s opportunistic secondary led by All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. Hurts has thrown four interceptions in five games this season having only tossed up six in 15 starts in 2022.

Keys to the game

The Jets have to dominate the trenches and that is not limited to protecting Zach Wilson and getting Breece Hall going on the ground. New York has a talented defence with playmakers all over the field, so they have to tighten things up in the running game having allowed 146.2 rushing yards per game.

If the Jets can limit the Eagles’ ground attack, that could force Hurts to take a few more risks through the air. And that’s when the Jets could potentially add to Hurts’ interception totals for the season.

Oh and one more key for whenever a team faces the Eagles… you need to have an answer to the ‘Tush Push’ or what is becoming known as ‘The Brotherly Shove.’ With big men pushing him from behind and Hurts crowd surfing on the backs of his offensive linemen, the Eagles have converted 91.7 percent of their third-and-one and fourth-and-one scenarios with their starting quarterback under centre in 2023.

Fear not Jets fans, head coach and defensive mastermind Robert Saleh says he has something for the much-talked-about play. We’ll find out if it works on Sunday evening…

Before the game against Denver, Coach Saleh confirmed that the shackles were coming off.

Through the first four weeks of the season, the Jets were careful to ease Breece back into action following the devastating ACL injury that cost him much of his rookie season.

While everyone was chomping at the bit to see Breece set free, the Jets played the long game, understanding that it was vital to limit and monitor his usage in order to allow him to build strength and confidence in his surgically repaired knee.

Despite a 100+ yard performance in the opening weekend win against Buffalo, Breece was given just 32 carries over a four week period, before being handed the rock 22 times on Sunday against the Broncos.

Some of that was down to game script with the Jets falling behind early to the Chiefs and Cowboys, but a lot of it had to do with load management. As Saleh said so often through the preseason, the Jets had to protect Breece from himself, with the second year star keen to get back into the action.

There are always narratives and storylines in the NFL. As it transpired, Breece was let loose on the same turf that caused him so much pain 12 months ago. If you’ve seen the exceptional Breece Hall documentary, you’ll understand all the sweat, tears, frustration and dedication that goes into the recovery from a major injury. So it was hardly surprising that Breece walked off the field with a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon.

Despite that load management, Breece has rushed for 387 yards already this season, good for the sixth highest mark in football. His 7.2 average yards per rush is the third highest mark in football for players who have had 20+ rush attempts, and his 77.4 rushing yards per game is still a top-10 mark in football. When you’ve been held on a leash and performed at a top-10 rate, you know good things are going to happen when that leash is relaxed.

Breece averaged 8.0 yards on 22 attempts on Sunday for 177 yards and a touchdown, showcasing all the traits that convinced the Jets to trade up and draft him in 2022. I’m not one for sending thank you cards, but every time Breece takes to the field I am grateful that the New York Giants agreed to move down in that draft, allowing the Jets to move up to pick 36 and select Breece.

Football is a team game and rushing the ball effectively requires unity and cohesion. From the QB handoff, to the linemen doing the grunt work, to the fullback and receivers blocking on the second level. But Breece is that unique specimen who combines two key attributes. One, he always makes the right decision in relation to his cuts and two, he can create on his own when he has to.

For his touchdown against Denver, it was poetry in motion with Joe Tippmann pinning his man inside and Laken Tomlinson pulling and sealing the outside. Breece still had to showcase that 4.39 pace to run away from multiple defenders, but that was the kind of run that Keith Carter will be enjoying this week, with the line executing the play to perfection and the star runner doing the rest.

On multiple other occasions, Breece was set to be met in the hole by a defender. But his ability to juke, to move laterally and then plant and explode made him near impossible to tackle cleanly. His average of 4.80 rushing yards after contact is a testament to this, as is his six plays of 15+ yards on the ground, a number that’s good for second in the league.

The Jets showcased the winning formula on Sunday and it involved a heavy workload for Breece. That season high 22-carry mark against Denver could be surpassed again over the coming weeks, and while teams know the Jets want to feed Breece the ball, stopping it is another matter. Especially with an offensive line that is starting to gel, albeit now forced to replace the injured Alijah Vera-Tucker; one of the very best run-blockers in the game.

There were a lot of positives to come from Denver, but Breece being back to his very best form may be the biggest one.

History was made at Tottenham Hotspur this month, as the stadium played host to the first ever International Girls Flag game, with the United Kingdom taking on Germany in an all-European tie.

The UK was represented by Ealing Fields school, who back in May won the inaugural Jets and Bears NFL Girls Flag League. Germany were represented by Stadtteilschule am Heidberg, a Hamburg-based school who were playing in their first ever competitive game.

10 girls from each side were in attendance, using the same locker rooms and pitch as the NFL teams who are flocking to London for their games this month.

Cheered on by parents, teachers and a couple of former NFL stars in Laveranues Coles and Kenny Stills, the game was hugely exciting, as both teams showed off skill that belied their relatively short time playing the sport.

It was the UK who struck first, converting on a short touchdown pass, before Germany brought the scores level heading into half time at 6-6. Both defences had looked strong, limiting long plays and creating turnovers at crucial moments.

The second half started much the same way, as a tense affair meant every yard and play mattered. In the end, it was a Breece Hall-esque long touchdown run that settled the game, as a hand off by the UK led to an explosive play to give them a late lead. Germany looked to respond but to no avail, sealing a historic victory.

A special presentation followed, with t-shirts and a trophy presented to the two teams, who look to have an extremely bright future in the sport.

Jets community representative Eli Hodges reaffirmed the team’s commitment to grassroots participation, especially through Girls Flag, with plans for the UK league to return next season – bigger and better than ever.

Returning to Denver and Mile High, running back Breece Hall, who had his rookie season ended at Empower Field at Mile High last year, insisted it would be “just another football game.”

The Jets’ 31-21 win over the Broncos was just another game indeed, another masterpiece from the Green & White’s young star RB. Hall rushed for a career-high 177 yards including a 72-yard TD on the team’s first play of the third quarter that changed the game as the visitors moved out to a double-digit lead in the second half and hung on for the victory.

After rushing for an impressive 59 yards in the first half, Hall turned on the afterburners in the second half with another 118. In a matchup of 1-3 clubs, the Jets made a finishing statement and moved to 2-3.

Hall, who had a 62-yard scoring run last October in a 16-9 win before sustaining a season-ending ACL injury, gave the Jets a 15-13 lead that was their first lead in the third-quarter in their last 11 games. He provided the team the spark they needed on a sunny day in Denver. With an elevation of 5,250 feet, nobody rose higher than Hall.

“The dude is a stud,” QB Zach Wilson said of the second-year back. “But I think it starts with the guys up front. Those guys made some big holes right there and then when you give Breece a chance to hit it like that and he’s able to make some guys miss, we can be very explosive in the run game.”

The Jets outscored the Broncos 23-8 in the second half, taking command after an uneven opening 30 minutes. Quincy Williams (2 sacks), Jermaine Johnson (1 sack) and Bryce Huff (1 sack) led a determined rush that harassed Russell Wilson and muted the Broncos offence for most of the third and fourth stanzas.

The Broncos were held to 1 yard in the second half until R. Wilson hit Jerry Jeudy for 23 yards past the midway point of the fourth quarter. When Denver cut the Jets’ lead to 24-21, Z. Wilson responded with a critical 37-yard third-down conversion to TE Tyler Conklin, who led the team with 67 yards on 4 catches.

But All-Pro CB Pat Surtain II intercepted Z. Wilson deep inside Broncos territory with the Green & White up 24-21, leaving the Jets defence to turn away Denver’s final efforts to tie or win the game. Quincy Williams racked up a pair of sacks on that stand including a strip-sack that Bryce Hall, playing for CB D.J. Reed (concussion), recovered and took to the house to end the suspense.

“I missed inside a little bit,” Wilson said of the pick. “It was a third down situation and they played man coverage. They put their best player on our best player, and he made an unbelievable play. It got tipped around a little bit and he caught it between his legs. One of those that can kind of go either way but really all you can say is great play by 2 right there.”

Saleh added: “I thought the defense was outstanding minus one drive and overall, it was gritty, and it wasn’t pretty.”

The Jets scored in the opening quarter for the first time this season although a bit unconventionally, getting 5 points courtesy of their special teams and defense.

The Green & White’s punt coverage unit gave the team an early boost. Broncos rookie speedster Marvin Mims couldn’t handle Thomas Morstead’s 50-yard punt as Irvin Charles, elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, met him and LB Samuel Eguavoen recovered for the visitors in plus-territory. That set up Greg Zeurlein’s 30-yard field goal and the Jets grabbed their first 1st half lead of the season at 3-0.

Trailing 7-3, the defence made it a 2-point game on a second safety in as many weeks. Defensive tackle Al Woods got R. Wilson, his former Seattle Seahawk teammate, in his grasp and forced an intentional grounding in the end zone. Safeties in back-to-back games was a franchise first.

On their first offensive possession, the Broncos marched 75 yards on six plays, culminating an efficient march on R. Wilson’s 30-yard screen connection to rookie RB Jaleel McLaughlin. Will Lutz (23 yards) and Zuerlein (26 yards) exchanged second quarter field goals, making it 10-8, before Lutz tacked on a 22-yarder with 1:48 remaining in the second quarter.

While Hall was effective on the ground in his return to Denver, the Jets offense scuffled for most of the first two quarters as Zach Wilson was sacked three times and the unit went 0 of 5 on third down.

The defence held Denver to just 1 of 3 in the red zone, but the team was victimised by 6 penalties. And just when it appeared that the Jets would cut the lead again before intermission, the offence couldn’t get a play off from the Denver 8 after TE C.J. Uzomah was tackled in bounds following a 5-yard gain.

It ended up not biting the Jets in the end as the Green & White emerged victorious for the second time this season.

“It feels good to win in the league against anybody,” Saleh said. “It doesn’t matter. But it was a special game for [Nathaniel] Hackett being here a year ago and today racking up over 400 yards and putting up 31 points, so I’m happy for him.”

Jetcetera

RT Alijah Vera-Tucker, who sustained a torn triceps in last year’s Week 7 win over the Broncos, exited in the second quarter with an injury and did not return – he has since been ruled out for the season with an achilles injury.

With both D.J. Reed (concussion) and Brandin Echols (hamstring) out of the lineup, Bryce Hall made his first start of the season opposite Sauce Gardner. … Tony Adams returned to the lineup after a two-game absence. … The Jets have won consecutive games versus Denver for the first time since 1965-67.

After an encouraging effort against the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday, the New York Jets head on the road to face the Denver Broncos in Week 5. And the expectations are clear – Robert Saleh’s side will be determined to pick up their second win of the year.

With the great Aaron Rodgers in the building and cheering him on, quarterback Zach Wilson impressed in the 23-20 Week 4 loss to the Chiefs as he connected with 10 different receivers while throwing for 245 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 105.2.

New York will have a great opportunity to build on offensive successes that saw Allen Lazard and Garrett Wilson combine for 121 receiving yards and a touchdown.

In their last two games, the Broncos have given up 98 points and conceded 1,197 yards, frustrating their new head coach, Sean Payton, who has been very vocal upon his return to the NFL. While Denver did dig deep to come from behind in Chicago last week, their level of play has been sub-par.

Russell Wilson no longer gets as much attention as AFC powerhouse quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa, but he is off to a decent start in 2023. The nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion has thrown for 1,014 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions for a rating of 106.7. But he now faces a real challenge in the form of New York’s defense that intercepted Mahomes twice on Sunday night.

The Jets are a constant menace to opposing quarterbacks, rotating defensive lineman after defensive lineman to get after the passer with fresh legs. And a theme ever since Saleh took charge of this team is that New York’s defenders absolutely fly to the football and rarely lose their intensity.

The Jets can consider themselves unfortunate to have come up short against the Chiefs last weekend, but they did show a national television audience that this team is not about to go quietly into the night and they will continue to play with great spirit. Showing similar fight in Denver on Sunday could reap much-needed rewards.

New York Jets to Player to Watch

Quincy Williams – Linebacker… It’s hard to ignore Quincy Williams when watching a New York Jets game – he demands your attention by making tackle after tackle. Williams has become one of the leaders and tone-setters on the defensive side of the ball. If Russell Wilson has any plans to take off running, Williams will quickly change his mind. After making 13 tackles last week, Williams leads New York with 39 stops in four games.

Denver Broncos Player to Watch

Marvin Mims Jr. – Wide Receiver… Explosive plays can change games and that makes Denver’s rookie second-round pick a real danger on Sunday. Mims has only touched the ball a total of 16 times so far this season on receptions and kick returns, but he has made his chances count. Mims has nine receptions for 242 yards (26.9 average) and a touchdown, five kickoff returns for 176 yards (35.2 average) and a score; and two punt returns for 70 yards (35.0 average). 

Stat Attack!

The Broncos have allowed 20 offensive touchdowns in 2023 – the most through four games in the Super Bowl era. They are last in points per game allowed (37.5), yards per game allowed (461.5) and rushing yards per game allowed (176.0). The passer rating of opposing quarterbacks is a combined 133.4 – highest in the NFL.

Keys to the game

There are two key areas where the Jets can and should win this game. Attacking with their tight ends should make life easier for Zach Wilson and Tyler Conklin (four catches for 58 yards) and C.J. Uzomah (scored on a 1-yard touchdown grab) showed up big against the Chiefs last week. And the Broncos struggled to cover the tight end in Chicago in Week 4, giving up seven catches for 85 yards and two scores to Cole Kmet.

On the other side of the ball, the Jets pass rush is an obvious starting point. Getting after the quarterback is always important, but Russell Wilson will give them chances to get home. Wilson is averaging 3.08 seconds time to throw in 2023 – second-longest in the NFL. If Sauce Gardner and New York’s excellent secondary can blanket on the back end, it could be a long afternoon for the Broncos quarterback.