NFL Week 3 Game Recap: Denver Broncos 26, New York Jets 0

The Denver Broncos defense entered this Week 3 game having allowed just 252 yards to opposing offenses. And they only continued their dominance this week, holding the New York Jets to 162 total yards in a 26-0 win at Mile High Stadium.

The Broncos improve to 3-0 while Zach Wilson remains winless in his NFL career.

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Denver Broncos

Quarterbacks

Teddy Bridgewater played the game manager role to perfection by finding open receivers and limiting his mistakes. He completed only five passes that traveled more than 10 yards downfield but was efficient enough to move the chains, as 12 of his 19 completions went for first downs.

Teddy Bridgewater passing by depth

Running Backs

Melvin Gordon III and Javonte Williams are starting to become a dynamic one-two-punch for Denver. Neither back averaged over four yards per carry, but they each scored a touchdown and combined for seven first downs on the ground. Gordon and Williams were also used as receivers, and both caught a pass that resulted in a 15-plus-yard gain.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

With Denver focusing heavily on the run game, the Broncos' receivers had limited opportunities to make plays. Courtland Sutton ran the most routes and caught five passes for 37 yards. Tim Patrick recorded a game-high 98 yards on five catches, two of which went for over 25 yards.

Despite the win, the Broncos receiver room is starting to get thin, as K.J. Hamler left the game with a knee injury.

Offensive Line

Denver’s offensive line didn’t have to pass protect often, as Bridgewater dropped back to pass just 24 times. Although Bridgewater was sacked twice in the game, neither was credited to the offensive line, which allowed a combined eight pressures in the game.

Graham Glasgow, who exited the game with an injury, was the only offensive lineman credited with two or more pressures.

Defensive Line

Von Miller, Malik Reed and Shelby Harris recorded a sack in an overall dominating performance from the Broncos pass rush. Dre’Mont Jones created three pressures despite beating his defender seven times. As a whole, the Broncos pass rush combined for 16 pressures and three sacks in the game.

Linebackers

Alexander Johnson and Justin Strnad each led the team with four defensive stops, with Johnson also recording two sacks as a pass-rusher. He also allowed just three receptions for six yards while also forcing an incompletion in coverage.

Secondary

The Broncos secondary played tight coverage on the Jets receivers, not allowing anything over the top until the game was out of reach. The unit combined to force four incompletions, with Justin Simmons and Caden Sterns intercepting Wilson in the fourth quarter to help seal the game.

Patrick Surtain II didn’t have the best day in coverage, allowing five receptions for 58 yards.

New York Jets

Quarterbacks

After throwing four interceptions last week, Zach Wilson conducted a less aggressive offense, with more than half of his completions coming within nine yards of the line of scrimmage. After going down 23-0, Wilson started throwing riskier passes to get back in the game, which ultimately resulted in his sixth and seventh interceptions on the year.

Running Backs

Without Tevin Coleman, the Jets running offense was nonexistent. Ty Johnson and Michael Carter combined to carry the ball just 12 times for 41 yards. Carter forced three missed tackles while Johnson had the lone explosive run for the offense.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Wilson wasn’t on target on every throw, but his receivers didn’t provide much help, as four different receivers dropped a pass in the game. Corey Davis led the team with five receptions for 41 yards.

Offensive Line

The Jets offensive line held up well for the most part despite four of the five starting linemen allowing at least two pressures. Morgan Moses allowed a sack and four pressures in 40 pass-blocking snaps, while Greg Van Roten allowed a team-high six pressures.

Defensive Line

Quinnen Williams was the most dominant interior lineman in the game, recording a sack, three pressures, four defensive stops and a tackle for loss. John Franklin-Myers and Sheldon Rankins each finished with two pressures, while Folorunso Fatukasi and Bryce Huff notched a defensive stop against the run.

Linebackers

Quincy Williams and C.J. Mosley did their best to stop the run, combining for six defensive stops and three tackles for loss. Williams also forced Gordon to fumble at the goal line, preventing a touchdown which led to Del’Shawn Phillips recovering the ball.

Mosley did struggle in coverage, however, allowing five receptions for a team-high 61 yards.

Secondary

Every member of the Jets secondary allowed at least one reception in coverage, but none of them accounted for more than 35 yards. Both Bryce Hall and Marcus Maye allowed over 30 yards in coverage, each allowing at least one 15-yard reception.

Michael Carter II played the best in the Jets secondary, allowing just one reception on three targets for only nine yards. He also tallied two defensive stops and led the unit with a 75.8 coverage grade upon first review.