Throughout the regular season, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Randy Lange, Susanna Weir and Jack Bell will give their responses to a series of questions regarding the Jets.
Today's question:
What's the Path for a Jets Win Over the Broncos?
EA: The Jets are still looking for their first win… and their first takeaway. The Broncos are riding a two-game winning streak and just pulled off an impressive comeback win over the Eagles where they outscored the defending champions by 18-0 in the fourth quarter at Philadelphia. So, what happens Sunday in North London? I think this is going to be a tight game and there is path for the Jets to get it done. The Jets will need an early touchdown and can't fall behind by two scores to a team that rushes the passer better than anyone in the NFL. While the Broncos have an outstanding defense, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor rushed for 165 yards on 25 carries including a 68-yard rip in Indy's 29-28 win over Denver in Week 2. Breece Hall quietly leads the NFL with 15 explosive plays and Garrett Wilson has scored a TD in three consecutive games for the first time in his career. When they move the ball, the Jets need touchdowns. Defensively, the tackling has to be on point against J.K. Dobbins, and the Jets have to force Bo Nix into mistakes. Nix has been intercepted 4 times and it's overdue that the takeaway damn breaks. Plus, these staffs know each other quite well and that familiarity is going to help Aaron Glenn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
RL: Much to the chagrin of Jets-oriented Brits, offense-loving fans and NFL TV execs, I see this one turning on hidden yardage and no mistakes, one of those "unexciting" low-scoring affairs. Last year's 10-9 Broncos win at MetLife reminds me of that, and that's before looking at Sunday's matchup. Each team has the ground game to wear on the other's defense in AFC top-5 backs Breece Hall for the Jets and J.K. Dobbins for the Broncs. The D's are ranked 1-2 in three-and-out drive rate, although the Jets have been more inconsistent than Denver's top-10 operation and 2nd-ranked scoring defense. The Jets have established some nice field position features with Austin McNamara's 5.0-second-ish hang times and the limited returns against the cover teams. Needless to say, the Jets must do more in the turnover pastry case — don't give away any more fumbles (NFL-high 7 lost FUMs, at least one a game) while grabbing and scoring off of one or two takeaways of their own. Who will take the last placekick, Nick Folk or Wil Lutz? That may well be the 0:00 decider.
JB: Touchdowns and early TDs in the first half. As they continue to compete for their first win of the season, the Jets have not scored a first-half touchdown since Week 1 against Pittsburgh. They have been able to put up 3 points on opening drives the past two games but also had nothing to show for a long opening drive at Miami with a fumble deep in the red zone, a turnover that ended a 13-play, 7-minute drive. Then there was a fumble last week that led to Dallas scoring pair of late second-quarter TDs. Plus penalties that seem to sap offensive momentum. Consider that nearly one-third of the Jets' 112 points scored have come off the foot of kicker Nick Folk (34 points, 9 FG, 7 PAT). "Finish, it's that simple, there's no overthinking it," QB Justin Fields said. "Every drive is different. So, I think to kind of summarize it, to make it as simple as possible, is just finishing drives and having that 4-point differential rather than just taking 3." Denver is not the type of defensive team you want to face if you're chasing the game. The Broncos lead the league in sacks (21) and OLB Nik Bonitto, leads the NFL with 7.
SW: Running the ball effectively and finishing drives. The Jets have put together some promising drives -- almost entirely on the ground -- early in games. But whether it's settling for field goals or turning the ball over in costly positions, they have been unable to find the end zone. Early deficits have forced the team to shift its game plan to try to put points on the board quickly. Running the ball certainly won't be easy -- the Broncos' defense has allowed the fifth fewest rushing yards per game across the league (88.4) – but the Jets also boast the third-most rushing yards per game in the NFL (144.4). And while the Jets do have a run-first mindset, passing the ball effectively might be the ultimate difference-maker in this matchup. The Broncos lead the NFL in sacks (21) and OLB Nik Bonitto's 7 sacks also lead the league. And don't forget about reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II in the secondary. The Jets will have to find a way to mix things up offensively, by running the ball effectively and QB Justin Fields getting the ball out quickly -- to keep this stout Denver defense on its toes.
