Ten days later, the Jets' offense was unrecognizable from a team that had scored three touchdowns in each of the first three games. The passing attack was inconsistent at best, not to mention the run game, and the offensive line couldn't protect the Jets. quarterback.
It felt like Zach Wilson's offense had been holding the Jets back in recent years, especially as the defense performed well for the most part while holding the Broncos to 10 points.
“We were kind of killing ourselves,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “I can’t say we had a great game. We missed some throws. The weather was terrible, but we also missed some throws. So we had some chances. But too many mental mistakes, too many bad throws, and some easy things, some protection work that should have been easy, some routes that should have been easy. I missed the adjustment job.
“…Our focus wasn't as sharp as it was the first three weeks.”
Now, it should be noted that the Broncos defense could end up being an elite unit.
They had a dominant performance in a 3-1 win over the Buccaneers, conceding just 13.3 points per game, the third-fewest in the league.
However, the Jets were shaky all afternoon, gaining only 248 yards of offense and failing to score a touchdown for the first time this year.
Penalties were a big problem.
Of the 13 players called up for the game against the Jets, eight were on offense.
There were five penalties before the snap.
New left guard John Simpson's false start on No. 4 goal at Denver 1 was a killer.
Running back Breece Hall had just 18 yards on 12 touches, but had two pre-snap penalties.
“It's a different feeling when you lose because someone is better than you than when you lose because you shoot yourself in the foot a million times,” Hall said.
He added: “We have to be better at the end of the day.”
But it was more than a self-inflicted mistake.
They looked bad from the opening kickoff.
Rodgers was sacked five times and had 14 hits.
The offensive line has been playing well lately, but they took another step back on Sunday.
Simply put, the group was overwhelmed at the front.
“Honestly, I would feel bad if he was a 20-year-old quarterback. So you want your quarterback to be comfortable, and he definitely wasn't comfortable,” the coach said. Robert Saleh said. “And give them credit. They're a legitimate top-five, top-three, legitimate top defenseman that's going to give a lot of teams a lot of headaches.”
The hope was that Rodgers' presence and an upgraded offensive line would lead to a better running game.
But so far, the Jets are 27th in the league in yards per game on the ground with 91.5.
Hall is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry.
Next up was the Vikings' defense, which ranked second against the run, allowing just 75 yards per contest.
“It starts with us coming forward. We have to sit back and tell him we've got his back,” center Joe Tippman said. “There were definitely areas that we needed to improve on yesterday. Being able to see that film opened our eyes to moving forward in the run game and working with Brees and the rest of the backs. I was able to keep moving forward.
“We know the areas that need cleaning and we intend to resolve those issues.”
With the Vikings, Bills and Steelers up next, the Jets offense doesn't have much time to get into gear.
