Instant thoughts after Jets defense comes up clutch to move to 5-2

Breece Hall went out. Alijah Vera-Tucker went out. Corey Davis went out. Yet the Jets found a way to win in Denver to move to 5-2. Here’s some thoughts and game balls on the Jets’ fourth straight win.

Quick Hits

• This defense is absolutely incredible. I don’t want to hear “Brett Rypien was at quarterback.” The defense still had to make plays and they did. Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed each came up with three passes defended, including a huge one on fourth down late in the game by Gardner to all but seal the game.
• The Jets did all this despite losing three players of their best offensive players to injury. The way this team rallied after that first half and all those injuries is a major credit to Robert Saleh for keeping everybody together and on the right path. That includes pitching a shutout in the second half. Huge team win for the Jets.
• And unfortunately, on that injury front, it doesn’t look good for Hall. Saleh said it’s likely an ACL for him. Absolutely devastating for him after such a terrific start to his career. We also have to see what is going on with Vera-Tucker and Davis.
• The Jets also won despite another underwhelming performance from the offense. Zach Wilson went just 16/26 for 121 yards. The team rushed for 155 yards on 24 carries, but 62 of those yards came on one play, the touchdown from Hall. Now, it’ll be Michael Carter leading the way again. Perhaps the Jets trade for a running back?
• Third downs continue to haunt the Jets offense. They went just 3/14 on third down and only had 10 total first downs. The Jets also ran just 53 plays on offense while the Broncos had 75. Despite all that, the Jets held the Broncos to just nine points.
• Bottom line is the Jets have won four straight behind an excellent defense and now have two huge opportunities at home to make some noise in the division, as the Patriots and Bills come to town over the next two weeks.

Key Stat

Nine total PBUs, six from Sauce and Reed: We touched on this earlier, but with how close the game was and the opportunities the Broncos had, especially at the end of the game, these pass breakups, especially from Gardner and Reed, were huge. To put it in perspective, the Broncos had just one pass breakup against Jets, by K’Waun Williams.

Game Balls

Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed: The six pass breakups and overall, keeping the Broncos in check. Jerry Jeudy did have 96 yards but Courtland Sutton only had 23. It could have been a lot worse.

Breece Hall: One last award…