Jets Country

Jets' Defense Secures Win Over Broncos With Clutch Stops in Fourth Quarter

Sauce Gardner broke up what could've been a game-tying touchdown pass in the end zone with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Max Goodman

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The Jets traveled to Denver in Week 7 looking to keep their winning ways alive, in search of their fourth straight victory.

New York didn't play at the same level against the Broncos as they did against the Packers and Dolphins over the previous two weeks. They were anemic at times on offense, lost several key pieces to injury and almost beat themselves with penalties.

Still, good teams find a way to win games, even when they aren't playing at their best. By that logic, the Jets are looking more and more like contenders, continuing to shatter expectations, while leaning on their elite defense, in 2022. 

Leading by seven points late in the fourth quarter, a game that featured 14 punts, the Jets' defense made two clutch stops, securing a 16-9 win in Empower Field at Mile High.

New York is now 5-2 this season. Through seven weeks, Gang Green has already exceeded their win total from a year ago. They're perfect (4-0) on the road this season as well, shocking talented opponents—Denver, Green Bay, Cleveland and Pittsburgh—in hostile environments. 

The Jets had absolutely nothing going on offense early on until rookie Breece Hall caught a pitch to his left midway through the first quarter. Hall took advantage of some stellar blocking ahead of him, exploding through a hole untouched for a 62-yard touchdown run. 

Hall's run was the longest of his career, his fourth touchdown in the last four weeks. It's the first time a Jet has rushed for a touchdown in four consecutive weeks since Thomas Jones in 2009, as noted by Rich Cimini of ESPN. 

The budding excitement over Hall's latest home-run play turned to concern in the second, though. Hall was ruled out with a knee injury before halftime, needing to be helped off the field and escorted to the locker room after a two-yard run.

Meanwhile, the Jets continued to struggle on offense. Zach Wilson had a grand total of 69 passing yards in the first half, 54 if you subtract two first-half sacks. Wilson finished up with 121 passing yards on 16 completions.

The second-year quarterback was running for his life all game long, using his elusiveness to evade several significant losses in the backfield. Without a clean pocket, Wilson had trouble establishing any sort of momentum in the passing game, routinely missing throws while under duress. Even if he didn't have a touchdown pass, Wilson stayed out of the turnover column for the third week in a row.

Greg Zuerlein's 45-yard field goal at the buzzer to end the first half was enough to give the Jets a 10-9 lead. 

Early in the second half, the Jets had more punts in the game than first downs. If it wasn't for another strong performance from their defense—wreaking havoc up front against Broncos backup quarterback Brett Rypien while making plays in coverage—the Jets would've been playing from behind.

Some credit goes to Denver's kicker Brandon McManus as well. He missed an extra point on the Broncos' lone touchdown in the first half, a short run from Latavius Murray. McManus went on to miss a 57-yard field as well

At the end of the third quarter, safety Lamarcus Joyner intercepted a deep ball from Rypien. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams put some pressure on Denver's signal-caller on the play, forcing an inaccurate pass, read perfectly by Joyner.

Joyner's pick is New York's eighth interception of the season, already more than this team had in 2021 (through just seven weeks). 

New York had an opportunity to distance themselves from Denver with a touchdown after the interception, but the offense stalled, unable to convert. That led to another field goal from Zuerlien, connecting from 33 yards out. 

Needing more points to put the game away, Wilson and the Jets capitalized on one more key mistake from Denver. K'Waun Williams was flagged for defensive pass interference on a pass to Braxton Berrios on third and 18, a 20-yard penalty to move the chains. New York couldn't get into the end zone, but Zuerlein stayed perfect, drilling a 40-yarder to give the road team a 16-9 lead. It wasn't the prettiest drive, but Gang Green ate several minutes off the game clock. 

From that point, Denver had two final opportunities to tie this game, or win in regulation. They couldn't get the job done. 

On their first drive after Zuerlein's third made field goal, the Broncos marched down to the Jets' 25 yard line. Coming out of the two-minute warning, Rypien lobbed a pass to Courtland Sutton. Sutton had a chance, but rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner broke it up in the end zone.

After a three-and-out, New York punted back to the Broncos. Denver needed a miracle to drive the length of the field with no timeouts. Rypien took the Broncos into Jets territory, but couldn't infiltrate the Jets' secondary. His 46th pass of the game fell incomplete on fourth down near the end zone with 37 seconds remaining. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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