Week 4 finds us at MetLife Stadium to see the Denver Broncos take on the New York Jets. Both teams are coming into the game after being crushed by their Week 3 opponents. It’s a battle of the 0-3 teams on Thursday Night Football.
Broncos
The Broncos are coming off a brutal Week 3 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel made his first start of the season, completing 17-30 passes (56.7 percent) for 176 yards and a touchdown before being benched for third-string Brett Rypien. Rypien came in for the final offensive possession of the game and completed 8-9 passes (88.9 percent) for 53 yards and an interception. Jerry Jeudy had a career-high five catches for a team-high 55 yards. Melvin Gordon had his worst game of the season, recording only 38 total scrimmage yards. Expect him to have a bounce-back game this week against a Jets defense is giving up 133 rushing yards per game.
Phillip Lindsay is trending towards playing on Thursday, which should help this offense that’s ravaged by injuries. With Rypien being named the starter this week, he’s going to need all the help he can get. On the other side of the ball, Shelby Harris was the only bright spot last week collecting two sacks and a pass deflection. Expect the Broncos to run the ball early and often as they try to take the pressure off Rypien in his first NFL start.
Jets
Meanwhile, the Jets are coming off a 36-7 loss against the Indianapolis Colts. With top receiving targets Jamison Crowder (hamstring) and Breshad Perriman (ankle) out last week, Sam Darnold had to rely on the former 2018 sixth-round draft pick Braxton Berrios to move the ball. Berrios ended up with four catches for a team-high 64 yards and a touchdown. Frank Gore led the team with 57 rushing yards. The Jets’ offense accumulated 188 total yards in the first half compared to just 72 yards in the second half. With Darnold struggling to move the ball so far this season, Gore should be in line for another 15-20 carries.
On the other side of the ball, Quinnen Williams and Marcus Maye lead the team with two sacks apiece. Before last week’s clunker against the Colts, the Jets were averaging three sacks per game. With the Broncos’ offensive line allowing 4.3 sacks per game (second-worst in the NFL), expect the Jets to apply constant pressure on Rypien, leading to multiple sacks and a turnover.
Game Info
Date: October 1, 2020
Start time: 8:20 P.M. est
Location: East Rutherford, NJ
Stadium: MetLife Stadium
TV Info: NFL Network
Betting Odds Sponsored by Jazz Sportsbook
Points Spread: DEN +1.5 (-110) | NYJ -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: DEN +100 | NYJ -130
Over/Under: O 40.5 (-110) | U 40.5 (-110)
The public has been hammering the Jets ever since the Broncos announced Rypien was going to replace Driskel as the starting quarterback. The Broncos started out as three-point favorites when the line opened at the beginning of the week, but the public quickly jumped on the home team. Expect both quarterbacks to lean heavily on the run game to keep the ball moving. Expect this game to go under the total of 40.5 points.
Prediction
The Broncos and Jets come out flat and combine for nine total points heading into halftime. Coming out of the break, Rypien leads the Broncos down the field and finds Noah Fant in the back of the end zone for the game’s first and only touchdown. Darnold’s late-game heroics come up a short as Justin Simmons picks him off to seal the victory for the Broncos.
Final Score: Broncos 16, Jets 12
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