Jets grades vs. Broncos: Offense, coaching fail their assignments in Week 4 loss
Robert Saleh of the Jets looks on against the Denver Broncos in the second half at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
OFFENSE
F The players the Jets are supposed to rely on were complete no-shows in their 10-9 home loss to the Broncos on Sunday. Breece Hall managed only 4 rushing yards on 10 carries, including two runs for no gain on goal-to-go from the 1 late in the first quarter. Garrett Wilson caught five passes on eight targets for 41 yards. Aaron Rodgers did some promising things and seemed to move well. At one point, he even pulled the ball away from a handoff and ran for 14 yards. But even he had a few errant passes and poor reads. The Jets were 0-for-2 in the red zone, an area where they otherwise have been successful this season.
DEFENSE
C The numbers looked great. They flustered rookie Bo Nix and held him to 60 passing yards even though they did not record a sack. They allowed 126 rushing yards, which isn’t awful. The Broncos had only 186 net yards, but 87 of them came on an 11-play, third-quarter drive that accounted for the only touchdown of the game. It was aided by a pass-interference penalty by Michael Carter II and an offside penalty against Will McDonald. The unit also allowed a 29-yard completion from Nix to Courtland Sutton on third-and-11 from the Broncos’ 24 on the drive.
SPECIAL TEAMS
D Greg Zuerlein had a look at the winning field goal from 50 yards and had plenty of leg on it, but the ball drifted wide right for a miss. Zuerlein had connected earlier from 23, 35 and 40 yards to account for the only Jets points. One of the nastiest penalties of the day came when Irvin Charles leveled Broncos punt returner Marvin Mims Jr. while he was waving for a fair catch. Xavier Gipson had a few shifty punt returns, but the Jets haven’t been able to figure out how to use his skills on kickoff returns.
COACHING
F Thirteen penalties for 90 yards — not to mention the two others that were declined — is yet another scar for this staff to wear. Instead of scarlet A’s, the Jets coaches should have to wear yellow P’s to demonstrate their shame. Offensively, Nathaniel Hackett looked more like the coach the Broncos fired after less than one full season as head coach than the one who seemed to have recalibrated his career with the help of Rodgers.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
