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Denver Broncos at New York Jets week four preview

By Tylor Walden

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 07: Royce Freeman #28 of the Denver Broncos in action against the New York Jets on October 7, 2018 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 07: Royce Freeman #28 of the Denver Broncos in action against the New York Jets on October 7, 2018 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images) /
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Justin Simmons
ENGLEWOOD, CO – AUGUST 20: Safety Justin Simmons #31 of the Denver Broncos participates in a drill during a training session at UCHealth Training Center on August 20, 2020 in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Key Matchups

Broncos Secondary vs. Sam Darnold

The Broncos have not done well in the passing attack, allowing on average of 278 yards a game. That number ranks 29th in the NFL. However, they will get a chance to shine on Thursday as Sam Darnold and the Jets passing attack are next to last in the NFL in passing yards per game.

Darnold has thrown for 562 yards for a 61.5 percent completion percentage. He has thrown three touchdowns to four interceptions. So, he is not a dangerous quarterback to face. Then again, remember what he did to the Broncos in 2018 and you will cringe.

Melvin Gordon vs. Jets run defense

Denver has not been productive in the run game in the first three games. But this could be a chance for Gordon to shine. He has only faced the Jets once in his career, but he recorded 81 yards and a touchdown.

If Phillip Lindsay is able to play on Thursday, he could very well help Melvin Gordon if needed. But the Broncos running game needs to get it going, especially with Brett Rypien starting. A solid run game will help out a quarterback making his first start.

X-Factors

Broncos: K.J. Hamler

With a fresh new starting quarterback and a team on its heels, the Broncos need to take advantage of all the speed they can get. Hamler will be in the slot position. While the Jets’ pass defense is right around the middle of the pack, I do not think they have dealt with the kind of speed Hamler has.

Denver has yet to connect on a long pass play this season. Observing how Rypien’s arm is could determine if Hamler can break away from the defense and score a long touchdown.

Jets: Entire Defense

For a team that is struggling while trying to help out an offense that has a lot of young talent, the thought was the Jets would use their defense to help out early on while the offense got it together has not gone as planned.

The offense has not looked great and the defense has not done much either. Going up against a quarterback making his first start, they will need a “Hey kid, Welcome to the NFL” kind of performance.

If the Jets defense is unable to stop a third-string quarterback and a team impacted the most by injuries, there are going to be problems in the Big Apple. And it could start with the coaching staff if the Jets do not win this game.

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