DENVER — All gas, no points.
The Broncos shut the Jets out, embarrassing Robert Saleh’s crew with a 26-0 win on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High. It was a game in which the Jets fell flat in nearly every way.
Saleh’s “All gas, no brakes” mantra looked flimsy on a day where the Jets offense had the horsepower of a tricycle.
The loss drops the Jets to 0-3 for the third straight season, something that had never happened before in franchise history. The Broncos improved to 3-0.
“We played hard but playing hard is not good enough sometimes,” Saleh said. “We’ve got to be much more proficient, much more precise in the way we operate.”
The Jets offense was supposed to be improved under new offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, but looked a whole lot like Adam Gase’s offense. The Jets managed just 162 total yards, the lowest since they had 154 against the Patriots in 2019 in the “ghosts” game.
The Jets have not scored a touchdown in their last two games and they have been outscored 46-3 in the first half in their first three games.
Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson was not a turnover machine like last week when he threw four interceptions, but he also did not inspire a lot of confidence for those hoping he’s a franchise savior. Wilson was under siege and had nowhere to throw for most of the day. He was sacked five times and hit nine times. It is hard to pin Wilson’s struggles on him alone with receivers who could not get open and dropped passes when they did. He finished 19 of 35 for 160 yards with two interceptions.
It is fair to ask if Wilson’s confidence has been shaken after such a shaky start.
“Absolutely not,” Wilson replied.
It is hard to come up with anything the Jets did well on Sunday. They committed killer penalties, could do nothing on offense, had key drops, gave up pressure. It was a failure across the board and it felt like two steps back for Saleh’s young team.
Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater hit several big throws and the Denver offense had some good drives, but they were assisted by dumb penalties time after time. Bridgewater went 19 of 25 for 235 yards.
The Jets had eight penalties in the game and a lot of them were inexcusable. They had a delay of game that wiped out a field goal, a pass interference penalty that set up a touchdown, face-mask penalties, roughing the passer penalties and a taunting penalty despite being down by multiple touchdowns in the second half. It was a disturbing display of a lack of discipline from Saleh’s team.
“People can hate all they want,” Wilson said. “What is feeling sorry for ourselves going to do? We need to keep our confidence high and understand that we’re in this position for a reason and understand that we have the talent, we have the players, we have the coaches and the schemes to get this thing done.”
The Broncos controlled the game from start to finish. They outgained the Jets 198-55 in the first half and the outcome of the game never felt in doubt. They got 1-yard rushing touchdowns from running backs Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon in the first half and four Brandon McManus field goals to cruise past the Jets.
“Things just start going wrong,” guard Greg Van Roten said. “You’re trying to correct them and you feel like you’re one step behind and you’re on the back foot. That was kind of how this game started and we never really caught up.”
Unlike last week’s loss to the Patriots, it did not feel like there was much to build on off this game. Take the tape and burn it.
Wilson did not look good, but he got very little support from his teammates. The Jets have scored 20 total points this season and just three in the first half, tied for the fewest through three games in the NFL over the last 20 seasons, according to ESPN. It is also tied for the fewest in franchise history (1973).
Saleh leaned on a familiar refrain from losing Jets coaches after this one, saying the Jets look great Wednesday-Saturday but we just don’t see it.
“I feel like we’ve been having great weeks of practice,” Saleh said. “Obviously, games are not showing it.”
Saleh also pointed to who the Jets have played as a reason for their struggles. The Panthers and the Broncos are both undefeated and all three Jets opponents have good defenses.
“This has been a rough indoctrination for the quarterback and our offense,” Saleh said. “At the same time, you do expect plays to be made and progression to be made.”
The Jets players say they are undeterred by their slow start.
“We’re a good team,” wide receiver Corey Davis, who had two drops, said. “We’ve got a lot of talent, but we’ve just got to put it together. That’s the most frustrating part. We know that we have talent. There no reason for zero points. We’ve got too much talent for that.”
At the moment, it’s hard to see who the Jets can beat on their schedule. They look like the worst team in the NFL.
“Nobody said it was going to be easy, but we’ve got the men in this locker room, the men upstairs, the coaches to get this thing turned around,” defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said. “We’ve just got to continue to push forward. Sometimes you have to stumble, sometimes you have to trip in order to start walking and running.”
