Corey Davis has been awfully quiet since scoring twice in his Jets debut.
The imported wide receiver endured his second consecutive ineffectual game, totaling just 41 yards on five receptions from rookie quarterback Zach Wilson — with multiple drops — as the Jets fell to 0-3 with an ugly 26-0 road loss to the Broncos on Sunday.
Davis, who was given a three-year contract worth $37.5 million to be the Jets’ No. 1 receiver as a free agent in March, lived up to that big-play billing with five catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets’ season-opening loss to the Panthers.
But after managing just eight receiving yards on two grabs last week against the Patriots, the 26-year-old Davis had a couple of key drops among his 10 targets on Sunday.
The former Titans wideout couldn’t get separation from rookie cornerback Patrick Surtain II on a catchable third-down deep ball from Wilson down the left sideline in the second quarter.
Davis called it “a play that I have to make.”
Davis also dropped another pass — albeit thrown slightly behind him — over the middle early in the second half. Braxton Berrios also had a ball go through his hands on Wilson’s second interception of the fourth quarter.
“Zero points? We’ve got too much talent for that,” Davis said after the game. “Á lot of it was self-inflicted errors, which has been a thing for the past couple of weeks.
“I could do better There are plays I wish I could have back out there. Gotta make more plays to help this team be in some better positions…We have to make plays, and that starts with me.”
Of the receivers and their struggles, Wilson said, “You just give them some love, man. “These guys are busting their butts out there, too. Not every throw is perfect. For sure, it’s not. I gotta be more accurate and gives these guys some good throws.
“It’s tough and I think it just goes back to football is a team game. It’s not on one person. There’s definitely plays individuals can make, especially myself. But it all goes back to the team functioning and all 11 guys doing their job.”
Wilson finished with 160 passing yards with two INTs, and the rookie QB was sacked five times one week after throwing four picks against the Patriots.
Still, the No. 2-overall pick and the Jets need far more from Davis and the rest of their retooled receiving corps, especially with starting receiver Jamison Crowder still sidelined with a groin injury. Second-year receiver Denzel Mims was inactive for the second straight game. Rookie Elijah Moore (3-22) was in concussion protocol after the game, head coach Robert Saleh said, after suffering a head injury late in the fourth quarter.
“It goes across the board. Receivers catching the ball, [offensive] line protect, quarterback getting rid of the ball in rhythm. It’s everybody,” Saleh said. “We’ve got to play cleaner. There’s a lot of things where you can look at the game and say we’ve had our [opportunities]. But at the same time, if we’re not catching it on those ops, it doesn’t really matter.”