Matt Peart is making arguably the biggest start of his career, and the results have been brutal so far. In just two quarters of play, Peart has been flagged three times already, two of which completely derailed a Broncos' drive and kept the team from scoring points. None of the penalties were close to questionable, either, as all of them were clear as day.
For the Broncos, this marks their first time starting a backup guard in over a year, a significant factor in their offensive success. Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz had started every game for the Broncos since the start of last season. In fact, Denver had used the same starting five linemen every week since the start of last year.
The Broncos are turning to Peart during the extended absence of Powers. The Broncos are expecting to miss him until right before the new year, meaning that Peart has a chance to control the starting job for some time. If he continues to struggle like he did in the first half, it could push the Broncos towards exploring the trade market ahead of this year’s deadline.
Matt Peart struggled mightily in the first half of the Broncos' game in London
The Broncos have all of the momentum in the world behind them. They entered the halftime break in London with a solid lead over the Jets, the defense dominated the Jets in virtually all categories, and Bo Nix looked as comfortable as can be. Despite this, the Broncos lead by only 4 points. For the most part, their offensive progress has been derailed by the struggles of Peart.
Not only has he been flagged, but Peart has knocked two major plays off the board for the Broncos. His third flag of the half came on a major completion to Troy Franklin, a play that set the Broncos up nicely to try and score again near the end of the second half. Instead, the Broncos lost field position, an incredible amount of time off the clock, and failed to score any points on the drive.
If Peart continues to struggle the way he has, the Broncos might have to explore the guard market via trade. The likes of Trevor Penning in New Orleans could be a solid fit for the Broncos, especially considering the Sean Payton and Zach Strief connection. All eyes will be on Peart heading into the second half, and a benching likely isn’t out of the question if his play continues the way it has.