Denver Broncos – New York Jets
USA - NFL
08/10/2023 - 22:25 CET
The Denver Broncos secured their first win in the Sean Payton era last week, staging a massive comeback against the Chicago Bears. They finally got all the buttons right, and luck was on their side too. Russell Wilson definitely looks better than the previous year, but the defense is probably the worst in the NFL at this moment. Randy Gregory was released a few days ago, and that was the message coach Payton sent. In his statement, he emphasized that it had to be done because Gregory was causing more harm than good on that side of the field. Payton didn't take over this franchise to do any kind of rebuilding. Results are expected, and if they lose this week, it will be clear that there is no hope for anything in this campaign. To prevent this, they must continue to show the progress that started in the fourth quarter in Chicago.
The New York Jets also played very well in the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it wasn't enough for a comeback. Zach Wilson finally had a solid game, but it's unlikely we'll see that consistently. The Jets' offense has been pathetic from the start of the season, struggling terribly to move the ball forward. From the moment Aaron Rodgers got injured, it became clear that the Jets are doomed again this season with Wilson under center, no matter how well the defense can play. They certainly won't make it to the playoffs with Wilson at quarterback.
Throughout the week, there has been a single narrative about this game, and that's the New York Jets' offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. He was the head coach of the Denver Broncos last season and has been singled out as the main culprit for all the bad things that happened. The new head coach and one of the most respected experts in the NFL, Sean Payton, went so far as to say a month ago that Hackett did the worst job of any head coach ever seen in this league. This was a precedent, and many condemned Payton's statement. Hackett will be the most motivated person to get revenge on everyone in Denver for everything they did to him. However, Hackett is not a good offensive mind. In that desire for revenge, he could burn out, and Payton has too much experience to turn the whole situation in his favor. The Broncos' offense is definitely better than last season, and they will surely be able to score over 20 points against the Jets' really good defense this week. The question is, can the Broncos' defense finally step up and do something? If they don't succeed against Zach Wilson, then it's unlikely they'll succeed against anyone.