3 Keys to a Broncos Victory Over Jets in Week 5
Denver, CO. — The Denver Broncos departed Chicago last week with their first win of the season after escaping their matchup with the Chicago Bears 31-28 at Soldier Field.
The game wasn't without error or sloppy play, but head coach Sean Payton’s team desperately needed a victory. Some suggest that the Bears more or less gave up on the game, while others subscribe to the Broncos mounting a miraculous 21-point comeback in the second half of the game.
This Sunday, the Broncos welcome the 1-3 New York Jets to Denver in a matchup that will feature offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, QB Zach Wilson, and a testy opponent that is coming off a controversial loss on Sunday Night Football. On paper, both teams look similar with identical team records, but this should be a more competitive brand of football in Week 5.
Can Payton and company earn their first win of the season in front of Broncos Country and build some momentum with consecutive victories? Or will Gang Green thump the Broncos in retaliation for Payton’s rowdy comments last summer about Hackett and Denver’s previous coaching staff?
Let’s review three critical keys to a Broncos victory against the Jets.
Wilson Must Utilize TE Adam Trautman
The days of Russell Wilson being the butt of the national media’s tacky jokes are quickly dissipating as the veteran QB's win last week gave him the 10th-most comeback victories in NFL history last week.
But what about utilizing Denver’s tight end room more? Losing Greg Dulcich to a hamstring injury in Week 1 changed some things for Payton’s offense but Trautman was one of Wilson’s favorite targets in training camp, and yet, he’s hardly been a priority in the offensive play calling.
Trautman has logged five receptions for 34 yards this season, averaging 6.8 yards per catch on nine targets. The Jets’ well-disciplined defense will be on high alert when defending Broncos wideouts Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Brandon Johnson, and Jerry Jeudy, the last of whom ]hasn’t scored a touchdown since December of last year.
Perhaps utilizing an unsuspecting target like Trautman can expose the middle of the field in New York’s defense. In four games, the Jets have allowed opposing tight ends 21 receptions for 192 yards and two scores.
Surely, Payton will scheme some offensive play calls that prioritize his handpicked tight end acquired last spring via trade. Here’s to hoping that Russ goes fishing with Trautman this Sunday.
Bail on VJ’s 'Bend Don't Break' Philosophy
Don’t get me wrong, there’s never anything wrong with a win, let alone the first win, nor should there ever be apologies for earning a ‘dub.’ But what Vance Joseph’s defense is continuing to allow puts this team in a big hole for Payton's offense to climb out of.
The Broncos' defense remains at the bottom of the league as they allow opponents to average 5.6 yards per carry and 176 rushing yards per game. Not to mention the fact that they are dead-last in scoring defense (37.5 points per game) and allow (9.5 yards) per pass play.
Sloppy and half-hearted tackling continues to be an issue for Denver’s defense, much to the growing disgust and dismay of the fan base. Joseph's crew also made Bears QB Justin Fields look like a competent NFL passer last Sunday with a 132.7 quarterback rating, in addition to allowing Khalil Herbert to rush for over 100 yards.
Prior to the season, the Broncos' defense was considered upper echelon, at least in the top 15, yet it continues to nosedive towards apathy and NFL irrelevance. If Joseph doesn’t make any adjustments to his defense this week, Zach Wilson will be made to look like ‘Broadway Joe' Namath out there at Empower Field this Sunday.
I recognize the unfavorable task that is playing defense in today’s NFL, but if Joseph would be willing to espouse a high-risk/high-reward philosophy, at least we’d see something different. Maybe the players would buy back into this season.
Denver hopes to have team captain Justin Simmons back at safety this week, which could assist in turnovers and overall discipline in the banged-up secondary. But wouldn’t it be nice to see some jailhouse blitz packages that bruise and beat up Wilson?
If you’re going to get beat on a play, you might as well go all out and throw caution to the wind because this bend but don’t break defensive philosophy is soft, unproductive, and vulnerable.
Dial up the pressure, it’s what bailed Joseph out of that mess in Chicago last week. The Broncos defense currently has 11 sacks, led by the duo of Nik Bonitto (3.5) and Jonathon Cooper (3).
Limit & Contain Game Wrecker DL Quinnen Williams
Last season, Williams was one of the most dominant men in the trenches earning first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. This season, the 6-foot-3, 300-pounder is still raising hell, and credits his continued success to offseason workouts with Kansas City DL Chris Jones, and the proof is in the pudding.
Williams played a sensational game against the Kansas City Chiefs on SNF, leading his team with 10 tackles, and gave the opponent's accomplished O-line fits for the entire night. Four games into the season, the former 2019 No. 3 overall draft pick has recorded 16 tackles (11 solo), three tackles for a loss, six QB hits, one pass deflection, and has recovered a fumble.
The former Alabama star also became a permanent team captain for the Jets in the wake of Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury and New York head coach Robert Saleh will lean on his big man’s aggressive nature in Denver.
This new-look Broncos O-line that signed Ben Powers ($52M) and Mike McGlinchey ($87.5M) continues to struggle as a unit. Most analytics currently rank Denver’s O-line in the middle of the pack as they’ve surrendered 11 sacks in four games.
But the Broncos have struggled in the run game and have only produced one rushing touchdown, averaging 95.5 yards rushing per game. The Broncos have also failed to log a single 100-yard rushing performance from any player on the current roster.
The Broncos O-line has its work cut out this week against Williams and an aggressive Jets D-line. Combination blocks paired with sound assignment production will be critical so that Williams doesn’t ruin the Broncos' homecoming in Denver.
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