Entering week 18, the Broncos have been basically the most average football in football: Denver's 21.4 PPG, effectively three touchdowns a game, is in a tie for the 17th best mark in football, and is just 0.5 PPG behind Chicago, who sit at 16th. The Broncos have found more offensive success this year than they did last year, and seemingly have a decent foundation for their offense going forward.
Its worth asking, when looking at Denver's numbers, where does the offense ran by the man who led Denver last year sit? Well, the Jets, led by Nate Hackett, are the 4th worst offense in football, better than just the Patriots, Giants, and Panthers. While the Jets average scoring mark in 2023 has only decreased by less than a point per game from 2022, the Broncos have seen their PPG jump from 16.9 to their current mark of 21.4, an increase of 4.5 points per game, one of the largest increases in football.
The Jets have thrown 16 interceptions this season, the 5th worst mark in the AFC. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos have had solid quarterback play all season, regardless of the recent contract dramatics between the Broncos and Russell Wilson. The Broncos have thrown just eight interceptions this season as a team, which is tied with the Texans and Chargers for the second-lowest in the NFL.
The Jets only have 11 touchdowns on the year from their quarterbacks, easily the worst mark in football. Meanwhile, the Broncos have 27, which is good for 10th in football. Overall, the Broncos have a 97.7 quarterback rating on the year, the 5th best mark in football. The mark of 71.2 put up by Nate Hackett's quarterbacks is the worst in football.
The Jets defense has been nails this year. The Jets allow just 303.1 yards per game, allow the 4th lowest passing yards per game, but allow a pedestrian 22.0 PPG. The Jets, however, average roughly 2 turnovers per game, while still taking away the football 25 times. However, a defense that fights hard to restrict yards, is strong in the secondary, creates turnovers at a respectable clip, can't seem to keep teams off the scoreboard.
The Jets defense's biggest achilles heel this year has been their offense, which has consistently started them from behind this year. Yet another strong defense has been thrown to waste by a Nathaniel Hackett offense, a scene that Broncos fans know all too familiar.