Moral victories are few and far between in the NFL, but the New York Jets seemed to have one in their narrow 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. After falling to 1-3 on the season, the Jets are entering must-win territory ahead of their road matchup with the Denver Broncos in Week 5.
The offense of the Jets — particularly Zach Wilson — showed signs of life in the three-point defeat to the Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Broncos finally got their first win of the season in a come-from-behind victory over the winless Chicago Bears in Week 4.
Buy Jets TicketsWhile there was once more hype surrounding this game with Sean Payton’s preseason comments, and a healthy Aaron Rodgers, here are six players from the Jets to watch in Week 5 versus the Broncos.
QB Zach Wilson
Before Week 4 kicked off, it was a mixture of Wilson performing poorly and Nathaniel Hackett refusing to instill trust in the third-year quarterback to push the ball down the field. All of that changed against the Chiefs, with Wilson putting together arguably the best performance of his career.
Wilson would complete 28 of his 39 attempts for 245 yards and two touchdowns, while also avoiding any turnovers against an aggressive Steve Spagnuolo defense. Following his positive outing versus the Chiefs, Wilson will go up against a Broncos defense that ranks dead last in pass defense DVOA in the NFL.
RB Breece Hall
Ever since Breece Hall returned from his torn ACL in Week 1 and rushed for 127 yards on 10 attempts, everyone has been anxiously waiting for him to receive a larger workload. Robert Saleh has stated that Hall will no longer be playing on a snap count ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the Broncos.
Since Week 1, Hall has totaled only 83 rushing yards on 22 attempts, and he’s still seeking his first touchdown of the season. The positive news for Hall is that the Broncos rank 31st in rush defense DVOA and they’ve allowed the most rushing touchdowns (7) to opposing running backs thus far.
WR Garrett Wilson
When Rodgers went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in the season opener, it was hard to envision a scenario where Garrett Wilson would achieve the expectations that were placed on him before the season. Things even looked bleak for the star wideout until Week 4 against the Chiefs.
With better quarterback play from Wilson, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year caught nine of his 14 targets for 60 yards in last week’s loss to the Chiefs. Even though his numbers didn’t jump off of the page, it was a positive sign to see Wilson remain heavily involved through the air ahead of a fantastic matchup versus the Broncos.
DE Jermaine Johnson
It has been a slow start to the season for Jermaine Johnson and the edge defenders on the Jets. The second-year pass rusher has failed to record a sack since Week 1, and he’s combined for only eight tackles and one tackle for loss in that span.
Even with Russell Wilson performing better with Payton at the helm, the Broncos have surrendered 11 sacks thus far (tied for the ninth-most in the NFL). Johnson hasn’t shown much consistency in terms of generating pressure, but this week is a perfect time for him to make his presence felt against an average offensive line of the Broncos.
LB Quincy Williams
It remains to be seen if Javonte Williams will be active for Sunday’s game between the Jets and the Broncos. Regardless of Williams’ status, Payton has found himself a dynamic running back in Jaleel McLaughlin, who has shown plenty of explosiveness once he gets the ball in his hands.
Quincy Williams is an extremely athletic linebacker for the Jets, and it’s clear the Broncos want to get McLaughlin and their running backs involved early and often. If Williams and the Jets can prevent McLaughlin and the other backs on the Broncos from creating explosive plays, they’ll be in a prime spot to win their second game of the season.
CB Sauce Gardner
Through the first four weeks, we have yet to get a game from Sauce Gardner that proves he is still one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL — at least yet. Teams tend to avoid Gardner’s side of the field entirely as the All-Pro cornerback has shown he can affect a game with his play in the secondary.
The Jets don’t have Gardner shadow opposing team’s best receivers, so he’ll likely see plenty of Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr. (if Payton gives him more snaps) in Week 5. Gardner has yet to record an interception this season, but you would think he’ll get his first sooner rather than later.
