The New York Jets are basically facing a must-have game in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos. The Jets are 1-3, facing a bad Broncos team and have a date with the Eagles in Week 6. If they’re not careful, they’ll be 1-5 and on a five-game losing streak entering their Week 7 bye.
That said, the Jets absolutely can win this game in Denver in Week 5 and get themselves back on track at 2-3 with a chance to get to .500 at their bye. Here are four reasons they can get the victory Sunday.
1
Zach Wilson gained a ton of confidence in Week 4, offense starting to expand
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett finally started allowing quarterback Zach Wilson to stretch the field and, while the end result wasn’t what Jets fans wanted, it became clear letting Wilson be more free and flexible in the offense is good for both him and the offense as a whole.
Wilson played arguably the best game of his career in Week 4 against the Chiefs, a game in which Wilson had his back against the wall — a poor performance likely would have signaled the end of his run as the starter. His numbers were better than Patrick Mahomes, the first time a quarterback had ever done that in college or the NFL.
His fourth-quarter fumbled snap certainly spelled doom for the Jets, but overall, the Jets were in that game because of Zach Wilson. If he can string together these performances, the Jets can be competitive in any game, especially one against a poor Denver defense.
2
Jets' defensive front can (at least they hope) overcome depth issues in secondary
The Jets will be without cornerbacks D.J. Reed (concussion) and Brandin Echols (hamstring) on Sunday. It may be either Michael Carter II or Bryce Hall starting opposite Sauce Gardner. The Jets will be a bit thin in the secondary.
But if the Jets’ front seven can put pressure on Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, that depth won’t be as much of an issue. This week would be a perfect week for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to get his first full sack of the season — Williams had a half-sack against the Chiefs.
The Jets have also gotten incredible play against both the run and the pass from linebacker Quincy Williams, who has four tackles for a loss and four passes defended. The middle of the field and from sideline to sideline can be protected, for the most part, by Williams and C.J. Mosley.
The Broncos may get a few big plays on the outside, but the Jets are strong enough up front that they can limit Denver when they need to on offense. Denver will get theirs, but New York may get just a bit more to win.
3
Breece Hall is back...and Denver already can't stop the run
The Jets are finally taking the training wheels off of running back Breece Hall. Head coach Robert Saleh said this week the team is not putting Hall on a pitch count anymore. He is able to run free now and there are no limits. What a perfect week for that because the team that currently boasts the worst rushing defense in the NFL is…you guessed it, the Denver Broncos.
Denver is allowing a whopping 176 yards per game on the ground. We already know how explosive Hall can be with just a handful of carries in a game. Just think what he can do to this defense with a full complement of attempts.
Having Hall also will take some pressure off of Zach Wilson as well, which should only make the offense even more productive. Breece is back and the timing couldn’t be any better.
(It also wouldn’t hurt to see Michael Carter involved more as well.)
4
The Jets need to create turnovers, something the Broncos have struggled with this season
One area where the Jets may have a tad bit of an advantage is creating turnovers. The Jets have six takeaways this season while the Broncos only have three. Of course, four of the Jets’ takeaways were back in Week 1 with three of them being Jordan Whitehead’s interceptions. The Jets did pick off Patrick Mahomes twice last week, so they have some momentum.
Still, the Jets, at least numbers-wise, have the advantage here. They have six takeaways and an even turnover differential. The Broncos have just three takeaways (two last week vs. Chicago) and have a turnover differential of minus-2. Keep in mind as well that four of the Jets’ six giveaways came in Week 2 against the Cowboys. Other than that, the Jets have been solid at protecting the football.
So find a way to create turnovers and keep protecting the football and the Jets should be just fine.
