New York Jets Defense Lament Self-Inflicted Wounds in Denver Broncos Loss

The New York Jets defense had a great game on the stat sheet against Denver, but mistakes led to their loss to the Broncos.

Sep 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) can not hang on to a pass as New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed (4) defends during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The New York Jets defense, in many ways, was on point on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

The Jets allowed just 186 total yards. They held Denver’s rookie quarterback, Bo Nix, to 60 yards passing. The Broncos had just 12 first downs and were only 3-of-14 on third down.

In just about every critical area, the Jets had them beat. In fact, defensive back D.J. Reed said after the contest that “this was a game we were supposed to win.”

So, why did the Jets lose to the Broncos, 10-9?

In the words of New York quarterback Aaron Rodgers, when the defense allows just 10 points, “you have to win 100% of the time.”

The Jets’ offense only scored nine points. That’s not on the defense. But both Reed and his fellow defensive back, Michael Carter II, found ways to pick apart their performance.

Carter lamented what he called “self-inflicted wounds” in an interview with SNY. He talked about giving up too many explosive plays. He also talked about the penalties.

The Jets committed 13 on Sunday. The offense committed their fair share. In fact, that unit had five false starts.

The defense contributed. Edge rusher Will McDonald IV had an offsides call that fortunately only delayed the Broncos punting by one play.

But, in the third quarter, the Jets had two key penalties on what turned out to be the only touchdown drive of the game.

Carter was one of the culprits, as his pass interference call on a first-down moved the Broncos to the Jets 33-yard-line. One play later, McDonald was offsides again and it moved Denver to the New York 28.

Reality? The Jets’ defense only committed three accepted penalties. But it’s what two of those penalties led to that weighed heavy on Carter’s mind.

“It's hard to win when you know you kind of beat yourself like up like that and you know you have some opportunities that we just weren't able to take advantage of on defense,” Carter said.

Five plays later the Broncos had their score. Nix tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton, his most experienced receiver.

Reed wasn’t happy with how the Jets defended the play. The Broncos used a bunch formation of three receivers to Nix’s left. That drew the attention of five Jets defenders. Sutton slipped out of that bunch and found himself wide open in the back of the end zone.

🔟 to 1️⃣4️⃣ 🙌

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/Sh8HtTGeXf

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 29, 2024

“They formed a bunch and it was just miscommunication on our end, so that’s pretty much what happened,” Reed said. “The guy just ran loose. We just didn't communicate.”

It cost the Jets a win, though by no means was the defense the chief culprit in Sunday’s loss.