A look at the heroes and zeros from the Broncos’ 31-21 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.
Heroes
Denver’s pass rush: The Broncos feasted on Jets quarterback Zach Wilson in the first quarter. Second-year outside linebacker Nik Bonitto flew off the edge, recording two sacks as he treated Wilson like he was food. Defensive end Zach Allen was impressive, as he had a sack, a forced fumble and a pair of quarterback hits. If only the Broncos could’ve sustain that aggression the entire game.
Jaleel McLaughlin: As has been the case whenever he’s been given an opportunity this season, the undrafted rookie was like the Flash on Sunday. On Denver’s first drive, McLaughlin sped down the sideline for a 38-yard gain. Two plays later, McLaughlin bobbled a screen pass from quarterback Russell Wilson but managed to maintain possession before running 22 yards for a touchdown.
Randy Gregory: Denver’s former edge rusher might be the biggest winner of the week. Gregory managed to escape the horror show in Denver after the Broncos traded him to the San Francisco 49ers. He leaves a 1-4 team and joins a Super Bowl contender while pocketing $28 million in guaranteed money from Denver. He deserves a huge shout out because he is winning at life right now.
Zeros
Russell Wilson: The Broncos looked like they had another double-digit comeback in them. Cornerback Pat Surtain II intercepted a pass in the red zone before Wilson completed a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy on third-and-14. But then the Broncos once again shot themselves in the foot. Wilson fumbled the ball while escaping pressure and Jets cornerback Bryce Hall recovered and scored on a 39-yard touchdown. A big mistake that now has Denver at 1-4.
Opening third quarter drives: The Broncos have won five straight coin tosses and elected to defer each time. Maybe it’s time for Denver to just take the ball to start games. On Sunday, the Broncos once again failed to score on the first drive of the third quarter. The Broncos were forced to punt on two straight drives while the Jets scored 10 straight to take a 18-13 lead.
Denver’s run defense: It didn’t take long for the Jets to realize the key to beating Denver’s defense was to stop letting Zach Wilson throw the ball and run the rock. Second-year running back Breece Hall picked apart Denver, rushing for 177 yards on 22 carries. On the Jets’ first drive of the second half, he cruised to the end zone on a 72-yard touchdown to take a 15-13 lead. Earlier in the second quarter, the Jets rushed nine straight times for 67 yards then settled for a field goal to cut the deficit to 10-8. New York’s rushing total at the end of the night: 234 yards and plenty of Broncos missed tackles.
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