After a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the NY Jets will look to bounce back against the Denver Broncos. This is an extremely important game for the Jets to avoid falling to 1-5 on the season and potentially 1-6 going into the bye week.
Let’s take a look at five players to watch against the Broncos.
Zach Wilson, QB, NY Jets
Zach Wilson is coming off arguably the best game of his NFL career. Unlike his other good games, however, much of Wilson’s success last week came within the structure of the offense.
Wilson has faced some of the best defenses in the NFL so far this season — the Bills, Cowboys, and Chiefs are all top-six defenses, and the Patriots always seem to have the Jets number.
Wilson has a chance to follow up on one of his best performances against the Broncos, who have been bad defensively this season. The fans are starting to get behind Wilson again — this is a massive game for him.
Bryce Hall, CB, NY Jets
Both D.J. Reed and Brandin Echols are out, so it's looking like Bryce Hall will be starting. The Jets cornerback trio of Reed, Sauce Gardner, and Michael Carter II have been fantastic this season, so this is a big loss.
After a decent first few seasons, Hall has barely played over the past two seasons, and when he has played, it was not pretty.
Of the 167 CBs to play at least 1 snap this season, Bryce Hall ranks 167th (yes, last) with a 26.2 PFF grade.
— The Jet Press (@TheJetPress) October 6, 2023
I say this because he can’t possibly be any worse on Sunday, right?
Trying to manifest a Bryce Hall breakout performance against Denver. 😤
Despite the Broncos' record, their offense has had some success this season, and they have a few talented wide receivers. The Jets will have to be creative with their scheme to give Hall some help.
Breece Hall, RB, NY Jets
The last time the Jets were in Denver, they left with some really bad news. Both Breece Hall and Alijah Vera-Tucker would be out for the rest of the season. A year later, both return to Denver, and Hall is off his pitch count.
Hall has had some big runs through the first four weeks and has looked like the Jets' best running back by far. Hall only has 32 attempts on the season but has 6.6 yards per attempt. In contrast, Dalvin Cook has 30 attempts for 2.5 yards per attempt.
One of the reasons the Jets' running game has struggled to get going is that they have fallen behind early in every game and were forced to throw the ball. This week against the Broncos, they should fair better.