The Jets gave the Broncos a chance to pull off a comeback win by turning the ball over, but their defense made sure that Denver’s bid would end in sadness.
Linebacker Quincy Williams knocked the ball out of Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson’s hand on a sack with less than a minute to play and cornerback Bryce Hall scooped it up for a 39-yard touchdown. The play put the finishing touches on a 31-21 win that lifts the Jets to 2-3 on the season.
Williams had another sack earlier in the final drive and his big plays helped make Zach Wilson’s only interception of the day an afterthought. With the Jets on the 27-yard line just ahead of the two-minute warning, Wilson tried to hit wide receiver Garrett Wilson with a deep pass. Cornerback Pat Surtain II was able to pick the ball off, though, and the Broncos took over on the 4-yard-line.
The chance would not pay off, though, and the Broncos are 1-4. Head coach Sean Payton looked upset at Wilson for not getting rid of the ball before Williams’ hit and the loss was made all the more painful by Payton’s summer comments ripping the job Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett did as the Broncos head coach last year. Hackett was 2-3 at this point last season and the Broncos don’t look any closer to contending under Payton than they did under Hackett.
Russell Wilson was 20-of-31 for 196 yards and he was sacked four times over the course of the game. Good chunks of Wilson’s yardage came on short passes that running backs Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine turned into big gains, including a 22-yard McLaughlin touchdown in the first half. He did throw the ball downfield more later in the game, but it didn’t seem to be something Denver wanted him to do.
The Broncos will have a quick turnaround before facing the Chiefs on Thursday night. Another loss in that game will likely spark conversations about what changes need to be made to speed up the turnaround they expected to make under Payton.
Sunday was another good second half for Zach Wilson as he went 7-of-8 for 107 yards before the interception. The Jets trailed 13-8 at the break, but scored 16 straight points to move into the lead.
Running back Breece Hall had a big hand in that as he scored on a 72-yard touchdown and finished the day with 22 carries for 177 yards. The Jets had 150 rushing yards in the final 30 minutes and they’ll try to get off to a quicker start against the Eagles in next Sunday’s game.
