The Denver Broncos have a huge test in front of them in Week 4 against the New York Jets. Let's make three bold predictions for the game. If the Broncos can somehow beat the New York Jets and get to 2-2 on the season, watch on. The team played a complete game in Week 3, totally embarrassing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It was a stellar performance on both sides of the ball and gives a lot of hope going forward. Sure, Denver is far from perfect, but they could end the season as a sneaky-good team if the offense can keep progressing. They face their toughest test of the season in Week 4. Let's make four bold predictions for the game.
3 bold predictions for the Denver Broncos in Week 4 against New York Jets
We finally see Bo Nix throw a touchdown pass!
Bo Nix is now the last starting rookie QB to not throw a touchdown pass. He's scored two times on the ground and has definitely made a ton of progress under center. I feel like this week is going to be when Nix throws his first, especially given just how efficient the offense was in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Nix completed nearly 70% of his passes and helped lead the Denver Broncos to 26 points in the win. Two touchdown drives and four field goal drives is plenty for just about any team to win way more than they lose. Scoring 26 against the New York Jets might be too tall of a task, but even if Denver scores just one touchdown, it'll be through the air.
And it's not like Denver doesn't have the personnel to do it. Marvin Mims Jr and Troy Franklin have great speed, and free agent WR Josh Reynolds has caught several deep passes this year. Even Courtland Sutton has been able to catch his share of deep touchdowns as we most recently saw in the 2023 NFL Season.
The touchdown pass is on a deep ball to Marvin Mims Jr
Here we go! Marvin Mims Jr definitely had his share of explosive plays during his rookie season, a year in which he earned a Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro nod. Not only was he elite as a return specialist, but he made most of his limited time on offense. We're still waiting for Mims to catch onto the offense and turn into a reliable target, and maybe that starts in Week 4 against the Jets.
We've seen the offense begin to piece things together week-by-week. The offense was as you'd expect in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, which was Bo Nix's first NFL game. Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers was a little bit better even if Denver was held out of the end zone, and Week 3 is when we saw a lot get put together.
I do believe we still need to see more of a consistent run game and still need to see Bo Nix improve a bit as a passer, but they've grown a ton since the start of the 2024 NFL Season, and are probably anxiously waiting to get that first receiving touchdown. Marvin Mims Jr is the most explosive player on offense, and it just feels like he'll get the first Broncos' receiving touchdown of the season in Week 4.
The Broncos seem poised to get Devaughn Vele back, so with the WR room totally healthy, that could open up opportunities for Mims to get past the Jets' secondary and haul in a deep pass from Bo Nix. We saw in Week 3 just how aggressive Sean Payton was in pushing the ball down the field from the get-go.
They didn't baby Bo Nix at all and came in more aggressive that the Buccaneers clearly thought. I would not be surprised to see the Denver Broncos do this again to try and mark their territory and grab an early lead. Look for Marvin Mims Jr to catch a deep touchdown in Week 4.
The Broncos lose, but shockingly keep it close
I want to believe that the Denver Broncos can win this game, but their backs are most definitely against the wall here. The New York Jets last played on Thursday Night Football and really took it to the New England Patriots on both sides of the ball. They'll have 10 days of rest heading into this game.
The game is also at MetLife Stadium, so the Jets' home crowd is surely going to be on fire. For the first time in what feels like forever, the Jets feel like a good football team, so the fans are going to respond appropriately.
Denver did go into Tampa Bay and beat the Buccaneers, so I guess anything can happen, but this feels like a different beast. However, with just how good the Broncos' defense is in 2024 thus far, I have no doubts that Denver is going to keep this game a lot closer than some thing.
The team should have all of their current defensive starters for the game. As we know, Baron Browning is on IR, but he's not really a huge loss in terms of production, and the team did lose ILB Alex Singleton to a torn ACL. But the Broncos did sign two ILBs in Kwon Alexander and Zach Cunningham, and I just have a feeling that the unit will be just fine with those two filling in for Singleton.
The Broncos are going to again have a strong defensive performance in Week 4, and given that Jets' QB Aaron Rodgers isn't as mobile as he once was, Denver should be able to get some crucial sacks on defense.
I would love to see the Broncos prove me wrong and come out of here with a win, but it just feels like too much at the moment. The team has seen the Jets quite a bit in recent years and did beat them in 2020 and 2021, but I feel like this game ends up being a one-possession loss for the Denver Broncos.