Jets 34 Broncos 16: Finally Something Positive

The Jets defeated the Denver Broncos today at MetLife Stadium 34-16. The win ends New York’s three game losing streak and puts the team’s record at 2-3 through five games.

Let’s break down what happened.

The Good

Isaiah Crowell: Crowell has been a hot topic of conversation of late for a silly penalty he took two week ago against the Browns and an endorsement deal that followed. It wasn’t discussed as much, but he had a really rough game against Jacksonville last week.

He put that all behind him with a career game. Crowell ran for 219 yards on only 15 carries. His 77 yard touchdown run put the Jets on the board in the second quarter. This was a brilliant game for the free agent signing. When the Jets needed a physical run, he provided it such as the the Domata Peko tackle he broke to create a first down. When he saw daylight, he exploded.

Bilal Powell: While not as explosive as Crowell, Powell also had an excellent day on the ground. He was over the century mark, but at late loss as the Jets were running out the clock, and the Broncos were selling out against the run prevented him from joining Crowell in the 100 yard club.

Offensive Line: You could find some quibbles. Spencer Long struggled with some shotgun snaps. The tackles didn’t cut edge guys on timing routes, one of which led to an interception. Still, the Jets controlled the trenches. This unit has been much-maligned for its poor play over the last month, but a strong performance today made all of the difference. Sam Darnold had clean pockets. The Broncos generated only a single sack, and the Jets ran for 323 yards. The backs deserve their share of credit, but so did the line.

Robby Anderson: Anderson and Sam Darnold finally made a few connections in this game. Robby had 3 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. The first touchdown was mainly Anderson’s doing as he got wide open deep. The second was mainly Darnold’s doing as he threw a perfect pass to a covered receiver. It was nice to see Anderson finally create some separation and for him to finally show some chemistry with his quarterback.

Sam Darnold: At 10 for 22 with 198 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, Darnold’s completion percentage doesn’t look great in the box score. His efficiency rate and touchdowns sure do, though. I think the efficiency and touchdowns do a better job telling the story of his performance. A number of Darnold’s incompletions were accurate throws that his receivers couldn’t haul in. He arguably lost two touchdowns to missed pass interference penalties. His one interception really wasn’t his fault.

None of this means Darnold is heading for the All Pro team this year. He’ll still have games like we saw against Cleveland and Jacksonville. It still is good to see him bounce back from a few rough weeks and show that he does indeed have a deep ball.

Leonard Williams: People have been waiting for a game where Williams didn’t simply quietly win his assignments and do dirty work effectively. Jets fans want to see him take games over. Consider it done. Williams had 5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 hits, and 2 tackles for a loss. To the extent an interior lineman can be responsible for shutting down an offense, Williams did it in this game.

Morris Claiborne: With Trumaine Johnson out, Claiborne had to step into the top cornerback slot. He did so admirably. When the Broncos tested him, he was in good coverage and in position to break up passes.

Henry Anderson: Anderson continued his strong play working side by side with Williams in the trenches.

The Bad

Quincy Enunwa: Based on their production and chemistry with Darnold, it almost seemed like Enunwa and Anderson switched bodies in this game. The Jets’ top receiver just didn’t seem in sync with his quarterback at all. He was shut out.

Darryl Roberts: Roberts lost in coverage on a number of occasions and wasn’t a strong tackler aside from one play.

Parry Nickerson: I was surprised the Broncos didn’t make more of an effort to pick on him. It felt like they had success whenever they went after the rookie.

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This win doesn’t mean everything is suddenly right with the Jets, but it finally gives this team something positive after a miserable three weeks.