National Football League

Jets get win over Broncos, but have plenty to worry about

Updated Oct. 23, 2022 8:46 p.m. ET

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

The New York Jets might as well have had a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter when the Denver Broncos and quarterback Brett Rypien took the field for their final drive trailing by seven points. It felt like the Jets simply would not let up another touchdown. The defense has been so good.

No way. No how.

Right?

Because with the Jets, you can never be sure. Not even against Rypien — or a reeling coach in Denver's Nathaniel Hackett. The Jets have — at least in recent history — found a way to mess things up. In years past, if you said that there was no way the Jets were allowing a touchdown, New York would have allowed that touchdown — even against this bad Broncos team.

This defense, however, did not. On that final drive, cornerback D.J. Reed tipped a pass and linebacker C.J. Mosley nearly intercepted the ball on third down. Then safety Jordan Whitehead broke up a deep ball on fourth down.

That effectively ended the game. New York kneed the ball to victory, 16-9.

There's a different vibe about this Jets team. They just win.

Sure, it's often ugly. But they're 5-2. They have one of the best records in the crowded AFC.

And it was fitting that Sauce Gardner, the rookie and crowning jewel of the team's impressive 2022 draft class, made one of the plays of the game. In the penultimate drive for the Broncos, they went four-and-out, with the final pass for Courtland Sutton falling incomplete. Gardner broke up the pass, which was on target. Sutton could have made a game-winning play. Gardner, instead, was the one who made a show-stopping break-up. (Gardner was also in the area of coverage for the Broncos' final pass attempt on the ensuing drive. It's just that Whitehead made the PBU.)

It's why Gardner should be the favorite to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

But it was also fitting that New York lost their other promising rookie, running back Breece Hall, to a knee injury. Because while the Jets do have a different vibe this year, the vibes may not be as positive as they look forward. They have games against the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills in the coming two weeks. And their best offensive playmaker, Hall, is expected to have an ACL injury, per coach Robert Saleh. Hall will likely miss the rest of the season.

"Resilient! Through all the trials and tribulations. JETS WIN!!!!!! #LFG," Hall tweeted after the game.

And I bet you've noticed that I haven't even mentioned Zach Wilson. New York had done its best to win without asking much of him in previous weeks. This week, the Jets did their best to win despite him. He probably had his worst game of the year, completing 16 of 26 passes for 121 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers.

His average depth of target was an ugly 4.4 yards, per rbsdm.com. His expected points added was -7.7. That means he cost his team a whole touchdown simply by playing, according to advanced statistics. I'll admit Wilson dealt with a lot of pressure after Alijah Vera-Tucker went out with an injury. But even before that, Wilson struggled with simple throws. He also tried to do too much and misfired on throws where Wilson struggled to do a Patrick Mahomes impression. The only good news was that he avoided a turnover, which is an extremely valuable quality — especially considering how much he struggled with them in his rookie season.

It's again a testament to the defense that they won the game for their offense with that context. Wilson took away value. The offense, on the whole, really didn't help much. Even when they had a chance to end the game, getting the ball with 2:30 left in the game after New York's defense forced its first four-and-out, the Jets offense needed just one first down to secure a win — because it would have allowed them to knee the ball. But they couldn't get the first. They asked their defense to make another four-and-out, which it did.

There's no arguing with the Jets' record. They're a good football team on the whole. But there's a reason why they're barely getting production out of their passing game, they simply do not have a trustworthy quarterback.

Maybe the defense can continue to carry the team. Maybe.

If they want to win in January, they're going to need a competent quarterback.

And they can't even look that far ahead. The Jets might be in for a rude awakening in the coming weeks. In the next six weeks, New York will see the Patriots and Bills twice — along with an impressive Minnesota Vikings team. Wilson will have to play better than he has played. Otherwise, the Jets could see a midseason collapse.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.