Like last week’s game between the Dolphins and Jaguars, the Broncos and Jets may not be must watch TV, but we will see something that we haven’t seen all season, one of these teams getting their first victory. These are two teams that were projected to trend in opposite directions when the season started, then injuries hit, and both of these teams start the season off at 0-3.
Starting 0-3 is never easy to overcome as a team and one consequence of starting 0-3 means that not one, but both coaches are on the hot seats going into this game.
Not only will one of these teams win their first game, but one of these teams will make franchise history by losing their first four games to start a season (barring a tie). In a strange season that has been riddled with injuries there is nothing that either of these two teams can do other than go out there and play their best game.
Denver is coming into this game completely dismantled as a team and they will be using their third quarterback of the season in Brett Rypien who will be stepping in for Jeff Driskel. They are hoping that Rypien will be able to put some points on the board and help the team that currently ranks 30th in the league for points per game.
The Jets are on a similar trajectory, but not only is there offense underperforming, the entire team is. Even with one of the worst defenses in the league, they were hoping that Sam Darnold would take the leap as some other third-year quarterbacks this season to have a successful offense. So far, that has not happened.
It is still early in the season and anything can happen in the NFL, but it is pretty safe to say that whichever team loses this game will effectively be out of the playoff race, while a win for one of these teams could turn the tides and lead a midseason push.
Both of these teams still have a lot to play for. While the most obvious is that the coaches jobs may be on the line it is also a battle for respect, one of these teams will sit with the worst record in the league after this game, no players want to be remembered as being on the worst team in the league.
This could potentially be the lowest watched Thursday night game of the season, but it also has the chance to be one of the most competitive. When there are teams with a similar record it is tough to say which team has the advantage, but since we are still early in the season there are clear advantages and disadvantages that each team has.
Which team will get their first win of the season in an attempt to salvage the season in the fourth edition of Thursday Night Football in the 2020 season?
Denver at New York (A)
Kickoff: Thursday, Oct. 1 at 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: NFL Network
Spread: Denver -3
Broncos: (0-3)
Denver has fit the mold of the 2020 NFL season to a tee so far, they are dealing with numerous injuries and some of the injuries come to some of the most important players on the team. So far, the Broncos have lost six starters and three backups to IR—these include Von Miller, Courtland Sutton, Jurrell Casey, and A.J Bouye. Denver is definitely up there when talking about the most injured team in the league, at this point they can do nothing about that except for play with the team they currently have.
The offense all starts in the running game with the two-headed monster of Melvin Gordon III and Phillip Lindsay, however, this may be the third week in a row that the Broncos will be without Lindsay, so they will have to rely on Gordon III once again. Gordon III has yet to repeat his success that he had in San Diego/Los Angeles, but it is still early on and he has been underutilized so far. This is the week that Gordon needs to come alive and if he can do that then it will give QB Brett Rypien more freedom and hopefully time to make some good plays.
That leads to the next conundrum, the offensive line. The Broncos line ranks as one of the worst in the league and it took another hit as right tackle Elijah Wilkinson has now found his way to the IR. This means that Demar Dotson will most likely be taking the starting role as of now and any changes on this line can’t hurt. After a good week one where they did not allow any sacks, the interior has begun to collapse and have allowed 13 sacks in two games. If the offensive line cannot pull it together than no quarterback will be able to last, and it could mean that Blake Bortles will once again make an appearance in the NFL.
While the Broncos offense clearly has its struggles, so does the Jets defense which ranks as the worst in the league. Part of the reason they are so bad is because they have dealt with the same thing as the Broncos and much of the rest of the league, injuries. While the injuries have taken more of a toll on the offensive end it is clear that the defensive side has been affected as well.
It is pretty clear which part of the defense struggles more and that is the rush defense. In three games they have allowed 399 YDS and four touchdowns on the ground which rank 24th and 20th respectfully while the pass offense has allowed 717 YDS and five touchdowns which rank 15th and 11th respectfully. This could lead to good things ore it could lead to bad things. The good thing is that is can force Rypien into tough situations and unnecessary throws especially with that offensive line. The bad news is that a RB as good as Gordon III has the opportunity to have a career day and run right over this defense which can set up the passing game.
The biggest key for the Broncos is that offensive line and it will be more of a matchup of which side will crack first, the Broncos offensive line or the Jets defensive run game. If the offensive line can hold up and give Gordon III room to run then the Broncos offense should be good, if not then Rypien could be in trouble all night.
Jets: (0-3)
While the Jets have an injury problem on the defensive side of the ball, they have an even greater one of the offensive side of the ball and that is part of the reason as to why the Jets ranks as the worst offense in the NFL. Losing RB Le’Veon Bell has definitely hurt the offense and without Bell the offense is more heavily focused on Darnold. This was the season that Darnold took the jump to superstardom, at least that was the plan. Darnold has been a mess this season and while he has been behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league, there is nothing he has done that indicates that he is the future of the Jets. To be fair (at least last week) he just went up against the best pass defense in the league, in the game he threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
While Darnold has not taken that next step and may actually be regressing, it is clear that he is Gase’s guy as of now. The idea of benching Darnold never once crossed the mind of the head coach and this is the game, he has to prove his coach’s faith in him is well placed. Now it is not all on Darnold, but he has not done any favors to help himself out. With Bell out the running game has shifted its focus to Frank Gore, and while Gore may still be a viable backup, he is no longer starter material in the NFL. Then they have one of the worst lines in the league which could be without first round pick Mekhi Becton as he is questionable for the game. Finally, the wide receivers were already not the greatest group of players in the league, but they have had injuries as well.
Under Darnold the Jets rank last in the NFL in total yards, scoring, yards passing yards, first downs and red-zone efficiency. They’re also second-to-last in total touchdowns, third-down conversions and yards per play. Again, it’s not all on Darnold, but he will take all the blame as the quarterback. This needs to be a bounce back game for Darnold and he will need to get his wide outs involved early in the game. Breshad Perriman will be out yet another game, but he wasn’t the biggest threat anyway, what could be a cause for concern is that Jamison Crowder is questionable for the game. Crowder has been one of their best players and even though he won’t jump off the page to you him and Braxton Berrios have been the go-to receivers. Chris Hogan and Chris Herndon will also need to be reliable if Crowder is out, but if Crowder is playing that seems like the only chance the offense will have.
Darnold will be the decider for the game as the Broncos pass defense is the weak part of their defense. Luckily, this defense without Miller and Casey will not cause as much pressure as the previous defenses they have faced. The Broncos run d is very good and should lock Frank Gore up, so it is up to Darnold to win this game. He may expect it out of himself, but Darnold does not need to play perfect to win this game, all he needs to do is minimize mistakes and the Jets could be right in this game. If Darnold can minimize his mistakes, then the pressure will go on the defensive side and if the Jets D can force Rypien into some mistakes then the Jets should play a very even matchup with the Broncos.
Final Analysis
There is always a chance that the game ends in a tie (like we saw in the Bengals-Eagles game), but this seems unlikely that it will end in a tie. These two teams may be winless right now, but there is a clear advantage that one of these teams have. The battle for these two teams will be which defense can force the opposing offense to make more mistakes. With a first-time starter in Rypien then the Jets could force unnecessary throws if they can force a rush, but Gordon should be the main person on the offense this game, so how are the Jets going to stop the Broncos?
It seems like the only chance the Jets have is if WR Jamison Crowder plays in the game, if he doesn’t then it could be another rough loss for them. This game comes down to the defense for them though, if they can slow down Gordon then they should be in the game, but it does not seem likely and it looks like the Jets will fall to 0-4.
Prediction: Broncos 24, Jets 10