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Denver Broncos: Lack of run defense crushes team vs. Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 07: Isaiah Crowell #20 of the New York Jets runs the ball against the Denver Broncos during the first half in the game at MetLife Stadium on October 07, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 07: Isaiah Crowell #20 of the New York Jets runs the ball against the Denver Broncos during the first half in the game at MetLife Stadium on October 07, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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The Denver Broncos were defeated by the Jets on Sunday. Denver’s lack of run defense was a key factor in what turned out to be a poor showing.

Coming into Sunday’s matchup against the New York Jets, I expected the Denver Broncos to be able to win this game. The score was not close to what I predicted.

With a rookie quarterback against the Broncos’ defense, I thought that the Broncos would win that matchup. However, despite Sam Darnold’s poor completion percentage, he threw multiple touchdowns against Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby.

The big factor in the Broncos’ loss is the effectiveness of Jets running back Isaiah Crowell, who rushed the football 15 times for 219 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 14.6 yards per attempt. Crowell torched Denver for huge gains on multiple occasions.

That is absolutely an unacceptable performance by the Broncos’ defense. The NFL has become a passing league over the last five or so years, but the Jets showed today that the run is still a big part of a team’s success.

New York’s performance in the run game allowed rookie quarterback Sam Darnold to have success in the air, throwing three touchdowns.

Due to the effectiveness of the Jets’ run game, Darnold was able to throw at Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby a lot, while having a lot of success doing so. It was not a good day for the Broncos’ cornerback.

The Broncos have a strong running game as well, but the difference is that the Jets didn’t seem very worried about defending the pass. You normally need both phases of the offense to work in order to have success.

Next. Broncos outclassed in abysmal loss vs. NY Jets. dark

Near the end of the game, the Denver defense stopped Crowell a couple of times for a loss, but it was just too late. Next week could be even worse, as the Broncos host running back Todd Gurley the Los Angeles Rams. Gurley has rushed 79 times for 338 yards, including a 17 attempt for 83 yards performance.

I don’t know what the answer is, but clearly, something needs to change. The Broncos have lost three straight games and with the Rams and their high-powered offense coming to town, at this point in the season, it does not look good.

The Broncos have a lot of work to do. It’s not just the run defense that’s the issue on the season, but today that was a major factor in Denver’s loss.

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