3 Brutal Takeaways From Broncos' Debilitating Loss to Jets

What new depths await the Denver Broncos in their pursuit of a new rock-rock bottom?

Denver, CO. — When the Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton created last summer by calling out Nathaniel Hackett reached its peak, the Week 5 matchup with the New York Jets was circled on the schedule.

On Sunday, Hackett returned to Denver as Jets offensive coordinator, along with former Broncos offensive linemen Connor McGovern and Billy Turner, and we knew it'd be a game that was very personal for all three men. Although the Jets were without Aaron Rodgers (for the season), the storylines between these teams still made it a high-scrutiny game.

Week 5 was a homecoming for Denver, who split its last two games on the road in addition to debuting its new 'Snowcapped' riff on the Color Rush uniforms. But not even a new helmet look could avail Denver as it was Hackett who came away with the last laugh, delivering Payton a hot, heaping plate of crow to eat by beating the Broncos, 31-21.

In our Mile High Roundtable, I picked the Jets to win, but I couldn’t have predicted the Broncos' continued nosedive toward irrelevancy as they continue to live in the losing cellar of the NFL abyss.

What can Broncos fans take away from this debilitating loss? Here are my key takeaways from Denver's fourth loss of the season. 

What is Payton Waiting For?

How long can a leader continuously watch a key member of his staff self-destruct before intervening? Week in and week out, the Broncos defense continues to surrender points, yards, and explosive plays, serving as the biggest perpetrator to losing four out of five games. 

In my keys to victory against New York, I asserted that Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph should be aggressive and bail on his status quo of soft, flexible defense. Instead, Denver surrendered 407 total yards on 62 plays as the Jets' offense averaged 6.6 yards per play. 

Joseph’s unit continues to own the bottom-of-the-NFL defensive rankings in nearly every major statistical category, but the on-field process is considerably worse with botched arm tackles and a lack of effort or pride.

Although Jets QB Zach Wilson didn’t look like the second coming of Joe Namath on Sunday, he went 19-of-26 for 199 yards passing and was picked off by Patrick Surtain II. Breece Hall ran wild against Joseph's unit to the tune of 177 yards, including a dagger of a 72-yard touchdown on the first Jets possession of the second half, while averaging 8.0 yards per carry.

It’s one thing to lose to good football teams, but the Broncos make bad opponents look like world-beaters. It only makes Denver look worse. The Broncos beat Chicago for their only victory... no big deal.

It’s obvious that some Broncos have flat-out quit on both sides of the ball, but when defensive starters don’t trust the philosophy, game plan, or man calling the plays, then how can Payton expect a winning result?

I know veterans swear up and down that they’re loyal to Joseph, but it's only a matter of course with it being proper locker room etiquette and all, but you can’t tell me that players feel prepared to win a competitive game when they’re continually out of position and uninspired.

Perhaps Payton is waiting for a new rock bottom to be revealed before making changes at the top of his defensive coaching staff. Or maybe, Payton needs to experience the twice-a-year drudging headed his way at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, the first of which is likely to occur on Thursday Night Football four days from now.

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Jaleel McLaughlin Carries the Offense

Just days after the Broncos traded away Randy Gregory, reports have surfaced of teams calling Denver to inquire about current players. While I’ve been stout in my stance that the Broncos should be sellers ahead of the NFL trade deadline (October 31), this team in no way, shape, or form should consider dealing McLaughlin.

The 23-year-old from Youngstown State, who went undrafted last spring, has quickly risen from the ranks of making the active roster to scoring his third NFL touchdown in five games. Against the Jets on Sunday, the 5-foot-7, 187-pound playmaker logged nine rushes for 68 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. 

McLaughlin also caught three passes for 21 yards and a touchdown, proving his comfortability with the responsibilities and pressure that come with being a featured player. Javonte Williams remained sidelined against New York with a quad injury which forced Samaje Perine into more action paired with McLaughlin. 

I’ve previously documented the Broncos' mismanagement of Williams’ workload, but honestly, his services could be better utilized elsewhere — on another team. Perine is a nice, complementary back who is comfortable playing second fiddle on the depth chart, recording 22 yards rushing and 73 yards receiving on Sunday. 

That leaves the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed McLaughlin as both the current and future leader of the Broncos' running back room. The rookie embodies this fan base’s blue-collar, hard-working mentality, which could be used a lot more around that locker room. 

Broncos Country has embraced this humble and smiling underdog just as he’s embraced them. It’s blatantly obvious that this young man wants to be in Denver and plays a critical role in winning games. 

McLaughlin is the type of player that a team can build a winning culture with. If the Broncos traded this kind of player, I’d love to know which, if any, players are considered safe.

New Threads, Same Dread

The Broncos haven't won a home game since Week 18 of last season. Against the Jets, the Broncos were abused and embarrassed at home for the third time this season. But hey, at least Denver looked good in its pretty, new uniforms.

The Broncos are a bad football team, plain and simple. It’s absolutely pathetic and appalling to me that the team's big selling point to the fan base is a new Broncos uniform with matching team apparel that’s available for purchase. Instead of restoring a rich legacy of greatness, the Walton-Penner-led ownership has leaned into spending big bucks on stadium upgrades, uniforms, and dud free agents with a single win on its 2023 resume.

I suppose the Snowcapped theme for this game was appropriate for a Broncos football team that appears to be frozen in its losing ways. Instead of celebrating Mile High Magic, Broncos Country is starting to wonder, 'Why bother?'

The Payton/Russell Wilson duo reignited curious fans to re-engage with the Broncos, who hadn't left them with a sense of pride since Super Bowl 50 seven-plus seasons ago. But when the home-field disadvantage becomes a staple of misery for a team that can’t win in front of its home crowd, it leaves spurned fans with a familiar, disappointing set of optics, no matter the coach or quarterback.

How silly of us to have simplified the Broncos' woes by seeking an answer to the 'can Payton fix Wilson?' question as the HC/QB duo has struggled mightily to win a football game, let alone earn a victory in front of their own fan base.

I’ve been on record as stating Payton is my guy and that he’ll turn things around. But it’s awfully hard to excuse losing four games at home without much evidence of adaptation, especially after Wilson’s fourth-quarter fumble resulted in a 39-yard return for a Jets touchdown that sealed the game.

When will the no-shows and lack of attendance start to become meaningful again? Will Broncos Country resort to adorning itself with paper bags to hide the embarrassment?

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