Broncos Fall to Jets: What Our Predictions Got Wrong & Right

The Denver Broncos literally fumbled away the opportunity to win their second game of the season, falling to the New York Jets on Sunday, 31-21. There were issues in every phase of the game for everyone on this team.

The Broncos defense couldn't stop anyone, the offense turned the ball over and went over an entire quarter without a first down, picking up negative yards in total, and the special teams muffed a punt and had mental lapses.

This was a putrid game, especially after Sean Payton's comments on Nathaniel Hackett before the season. Now Denver has to prepare to travel to face the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the best teams in the NFL, on a short week.

As we march through the postmortem of the Broncos' latest loss, let's examine how our bold predictions for Week 5 turned out.

Biggest Threats

Jets Skill Players

Usually, only one player gets deemed the biggest threat, but with how bad the Broncos' defense is, four players got highlighted. The Jets have talented weapons but are held back by their quarterback.

That said, Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Tyler Conklin, and Breece Hall had a good game against this lousy Broncos defense. We will get to Hall later, but the three others combined for over 150 yards on 10 catches.

Lazard was the lowest on the day with three catches for 33 yards. He was still effective when Zach Wilson was able to hit him. Garrett Wilson and Conklin made crucial catches to help give the Jets their second win of the season.

This defense is terrible, and the Broncos have only faced one good offense, to whom they relinquished 70 points. Now, they must turn around and play the Chiefs in a few days. Can the Broncos hold them under 50 points?

Quinnen Williams | DL

There were a few players to choose from regarding the Jets' defense, but I deemed Williams as the biggest threat. When you look at the stats, with only a single tackle, it would appear that Denver handled Williams, but that isn't accurate.

Williams caused problems for the Broncos' offensive line and did so much to help the edge rushers get home. He got pressure but didn't get home and did well against the run in the middle of the defense.

Russell Wilson Hits First Wall of 2023

Result: It came true, but not as predicted.

I predicted Wilson would be under a 60% completion percentage with three turnovers. He did fumble multiple times but completed over 60% of his passes. However, his completions were high-percentage throws that were barely beyond the line of scrimmage, outside a couple of passes.

Wilson had 10 completions on 16 attempts for 66 yards at one point. He ended with 196 yards on 20-of-31 passing. This was the best defense he had faced this year, and it showed. There were times he looked gun-shy, and while the protection was inadequate, he held the ball too long despite having windows to make throws.

Going into the late game, the Broncos have five passing targets to receivers. There's a lot that goes into it, but there were times they were open. You don't want to force things, but you must find ways to get them the ball. That issue isn't only on Wilson.

This game was very similar to what Denver got out of Wilson last year, only a bit more efficient. Denver needs a complete game from its $250 million quarterback, who has been deemed to be not the problem to 2023's woes. But at that cost, shouldn't he be the solution? That's what the Broncos are paying him to be.

One bad game doesn't change how well Wilson has played this season. Denver needs more from him and can't go almost 30 minutes of game time where the offense does nothing and posts four straight three-and-outs.

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Each Team Notches 6 Sacks

Result: Failed.

Both teams' quarterbacks held the ball for a long time, which created opportunities for sacks. The pass rushers succeeded in getting home, but only four times each.

It was a quick start for the Broncos, picking up three sacks in the first quarter. Then they fell apart and didn't pick up another sack until the final six minutes of the third quarter.

The Jets were the opposite of the Broncos, which was expected with how slowly they tend to start on defense. Two of New York's sacks came on the final meaningful drive, which included a strip-sack to cement the win.

Zach Wilson Thrives vs. Broncos

Result: Failed.

With how bad this defense is and the Jets' weapons, I predicted Wilson to have a big game, including three passing touchdowns. He didn't achieve that and was part of New York's issues keeping them from running away with the game.

Wilson completed 19 passes for 199 yards but threw an interception that could've cost the Jets the game. It was a terribly placed pass that looked more to Patrick Surtain II than his actual receiver. Wilson got bailed out by his receivers, though he did have some big throws, and got a lot of pressure taken off him by the run game.

Hall Exploits Broncos' Lousy Defense

Result: Came true, unfortunately.

Speaking of the run game, Breece Hall had a big gay, as expected. He ran the ball 22 times for 177 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter for the Jets.

The Broncos are terrible at stopping the run, and the expectation is that teams will continue to exploit that as the season progresses.

Mims Completes the Trifect & Approaches the Quadfecta

Result: Failed.

Mims fumbled twice. One was a muffed punt, and the other was on a trick play where Samaje Perine tossed it to Mims on a reverse.

The toss was high but still went right through Mims' hands. The rookie is an explosive playmaker whose play had demanded more touches going into Week 5, but if you can't trust him to hold onto the ball, it's hard to justify it.

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