Rypien Rips Jets Apart, Broncos Win 37-28
East Rutherford, NJ – All week, the Thursday Night matchup between the 0-3 Denver Broncos and the 0-3 New York Jets was marked as a toilet bowl game. A game played by bad teams, both of which riddled with injuries, and coached by coaches that just can’t seem to get any offensive momentum going for their respective squads. And, to a certain capacity, the game lived up to its label, as Vic Fangio’s squad turns the heat up on Adam Gase’s seats, beating Gase’s Jets 37-28.
Ugly, But Effective
Vic Fangio’s squad rolled into week four missing so many key players to injury. In fact, the total cap hit that the players on the Broncos' injured reserve list hits up to nearly $60 million. And when your team is missing big names like Von Miller, Jurrell Casey, Courtland Sutton, A.J. Bouye, Mark Barron, Phillip Lindsay, Davontae Harris, and franchise quarterback Drew Lock, you’d think it’s the end of the world. But not for Fangio’s squad. Third-string quarterback Brett Rypien, who made his first career start as an undrafted free agent from 2019, came out and held the ship sturdy for Denver, albeit running into a few rocks along the way. Rypien completed 19/31 passes (61% completion) for 242 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions, one of which went for a pick-six. Rypien picked on a Jets secondary that was mistake-prone and undisciplined, while also taking severe punishment from a Jets front seven that looked to rip his head off (more on that later). Melvin Gordon (23-107-2) assumed an RB1, every-down-back role against the Jets, getting 72% of the Broncos’ total carries. Don’t let the stat line fool you, though, Gordon was getting stuffed at the line frequently, with his 43-yard touchdown in garbage time padding his stats. In the receiving game, wideout Tim Patrick (6-113-1) was the favorite target for Rypien, averaging 18.8 yards per catch, while rookie first-round pick wide reiver Jerry Jeudy scored his first NFL touchdown against Jets corner Pierre Desire (more on him later).
On defense, Denver’s front seven went quarterback hunting, hitting to Jets quarterback Sam Darnold 10 times, with 6 of those hits turning into sacks. Third-year pass rusher Bradley Chubb used the game to get back into form, registering 2.5 sacks on the night.
In the kicking game, Brandon McManus was just money, going 3/3 from kicks from 40, 54, and 53 yards out. He should be a top-three kicker, next to Chiefs’ Harrison Butker & Ravens’ Justin Tucker.
Adam Gase (and the Jets) Have Ruined Sam Darnold
When Adam was brought on to be the Jets’ head coach in 20109, the expectation was that Gase was going to be an offensive guru, set to mold supposed-franchise signal-caller Sam Darnold into a top-tier quarterback. But that just hasn’t been the case. Under Gase, Darnold has actually regressed as a passer. He looks scared and lost in the pocket, often sprinting outside to try and make a play with his feet. As a runner, Darnold was effective, rushing for 84 yards and a touchdown on six carries, a Jets record for a rushing quarterback. But Darnold isn’t Lamar Jackson; he can’t keep trying to win with his feet, he has to do it with his arm. And in the passing game, Darnold made plays. He found wideouts Jamison Crowder (7-104) and Jeff Smith (7-81) on big third-down plays (8/19 on third-down conversions). Darnold also showed his grit, coming back out to play after taking a huge sack during the first quarter that resulted in a right shoulder sprain. However, the USC product also hindered his team, completing only 23/42 of his passes (55% completion). Two of those incompletions were dropped interceptions by the Broncos’ secondary in the fourth quarter. It also doesn’t help when your head coach favors feeding a 37-year-old running back in Frank Gore (13-30) over a young-and-promising halfback in rookie La’Mical Perine (5-15). But there are no more excuses to make for Darnold. This year was supposed to be a prove-it season for the Jets signal-caller, and so far, he’s showing Jets fans that Clemson quarterback (and possible first overall pick) Trevor Lawrence is the more favorable option.
On defense, it was a trademark performance by a Gregg Williams-coached unit. The Jets gave up only 359 of total offense against the Broncos offense, but they were undisciplined and, at times, playing dirty. “There were a couple of personal foul calls at the end,” Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said in his post-game presser. “And our sideline was getting pissed off about it. I wanted to avoid any confrontation at the end of the game. I thought it was the prudent thing to do.” Out of the 11 penalties called on the Jets, six of them were personal foul calls; two committed by DT Steve McLendon (helmet-to-helmet contact and roughing the passer), DE Quinnen Williams (roughing the passer and facemask), LB Alec Ogletree (late hit on RB Melvin Gordon), and S Bradley McDougald (helmet-to-helmet contact). The only bright side this unit showed; cornerback Pierre Desir, who allowed both Rypien touchdowns tonight, had a touchdown of his own, picking the Broncos quarterback twice, with his second one going to the house. Slot corner Brian Poole also registered a pick.
Like McManus, Jets Kicker Sam Ficken was perfect on his night; 4/4 from 26, 54, 54, and 36.
What’s next?
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for either middling squad. The Broncos stay on the East Coast, traveling up to Foxborough to face a New England Patriots team that will be coming off a tough matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
As for the Jets, they stay home, where they’re set to host an Arizona Cardinals squad that could be coming off an easy win against the 1-2 Carolina Panthers.
Writer
-By: Juan Guarin-Camargo