The good, the bad, and the ugly of NY Jets' Week 4 loss to Broncos

After last week’s convincing win against the New England Patriots, the NY Jets returned to MetLife Stadium only to suffer a devastating loss to the Denver Broncos.

The game was marred by penalties and missed opportunities, setting records for its poor performance. Let’s take a look at the game summary with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The NY Jets suffered yet another letdown in Week 4

The Good

Unlike last week’s game recap which was filled with good, this week is slim pickings. But one eye-catching player was wide receiver Mike Williams, who catches nearly everything thrown his way.

Registering four catches on five targets, Mike Williams led the team with 67 receiving yards. He made not one, but two spectacular sideline catches that moved the chains and kept drives alive. He needs to be more involved going forward.

Once again, Rodgers distributed the ball effectively, with eight different Jets receivers making catches. Xavier Gipson had a single reception for six yards but shone on kick and punt returns.

Gipson demonstrated excellent ball security despite the wet conditions, avoiding any turnovers. Gipson accumulated a total of 81 yards from both kick and punt returns.

D.J. Reed delivered a standout performance, recording two pass deflections — the only ones for the Jets defense in the entire game. He also contributed with three tackles, one of which was a crucial tackle for loss that pushed the Broncos out of field goal range. Impressively, he allowed just one catch for -4 yards on six targets.

The Bad

For those who attended the game, the weather was the first major disappointment. The rain, expected to clear up before kickoff, instead continued throughout the entire game. This clearly impacted the game, as both Bo Nix and Aaron Rodgers struggled to maintain a good grip on the ball.

On a rainy day, usually, the team that wins in the trenches is the one that walks away with the win. And so it happened for the Broncos, as the Jets surrendered 126 yards on the ground on 31 carries. While the offense mustered only 64 yards on 23 carries, resulting in a measly 2.8 yards per rush.

Due to the ineffective rushing attack, the Jets relied heavily on Rodgers, who attempted an astonishing 42 passes but completed only 57% of them. Out of those 42 dropbacks, Rodgers was sacked five times, leading to 41 yards lost.

Besides the 41 yards lost on sacks, the Jets also racked up 90 penalty yards. These 90 yards resulted from a staggering 13 penalties, including five false starts by the offense. Such a performance is unacceptable and makes winning games extremely difficult.

Rodgers reported feeling sore after the game. This tends to happen when a 40-year-old quarterback is sacked five times.

Greg Zuerlein was 3-of-4 on field goals, missing the potential game-winning kick. He is now 71.4% on field goals, which is tied for 30th in the league. It is a concerning trend and if it continues, the Jets will be forced to start trying out new kickers in the near future.

Box Nix became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win a game while averaging just 2.5 yards per attempt, with a minimum of 25 pass attempts. Nix ended the day 12-of-25 for 60 total yards with one touchdown.

In another record-setting fashion, Aaron Rodgers had zero touchdowns at home for the first time in his career.

The Ugly

Breece Hall had a tough outing, marking the worst game of his young career. He managed only four yards on 10 carries, averaging a mere 0.4 yards per carry. His quarterback outpaced him with 26 yards on five carries.

Eventually, Hall was benched in favor of rookie Braelon Allen, who impressed with 34 yards on eight carries, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt. For a team with aspirations of playing meaningful games in December and beyond, one of their top offensive players cannot afford performances like this.

The Aaron Rodgers-to-Garrett Wilson connection continues to sputter, as Wilson was only able to bring in 5 catches on 8 targets for 41 yards. On some plays, it seemed like Rodgers expected an adjustment from Wilson, while Wilson continued with his route.

During several broken plays, Rodgers had to run out of bounds because his receivers couldn’t create separation and provide a target. Until they sync up, the offense won’t reach its full potential.

Of the five false starts committed, two of them were by Breece Hall. John Simpson also committed two, while Tyron Smith committed one. False starts are drive-killers, and the Jets were unable to make up the yards in this game, especially with the wet weather. The penalties need to be cleaned up if this team wants to win football games.

It was a bad week for New York football. The Jets and Giants made history this week but for all the wrong reasons. The Jets and Giants have shared a home game in the same week 57 times. And this was the first time that the Jets and Giants combined for zero touchdowns. Just abysmal.

The weather was dreadful, the offense struggled, and the defense faltered; it was an all-around ugly game. With upcoming matchups against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, division-rival Buffalo Bills, and the 3-1 Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jets can’t afford another performance like this. If they have playoff aspirations, they need to step up their game.

The New York Jets have plenty to address as they head to London for their matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

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