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NFL Thursday Night Preview: Jets vs. Broncos

NFL Thursday Night Preview: Jets vs. Broncos

Tonight’s NFL game between the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos features two teams starting the season off on the wrong foot.  They’re both 0-3 and they’re both hoping that something turns around quickly, or this season could be a wash.

Since someone has to win and someone has to lose, one of these two teams is looking at falling further down the list once the clock runs out tonight.

Gase Hangs In There

The Jets showed a lot of excitement when they brought in new head coach Adam Gase last year.  Having never played college or pro football, it seemed like an odd move; however, perhaps an odd move was exactly what was needed to fire up the team.  The team struggled last year, finishing with a 7-9 record, and haven’t gotten off to a great start this season, either.

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However, as far as the Jets brass is concerned, Gase won’t be going anywhere.  Sources say that firing him now would be more disruptive than productive and hope that he can turn things around.

As with many teams, the Jets have had to deal with several key injuries in the opening weeks of the current season.  Running back Le’Veon Bell is down with a hamstring injury and wide receiver Breshad Perriman is out as the result of an ankle injury.  In addition, several other players, including defensive tackle Mekhi Becton, wide receiver Jamison Crowder and linebacker Jordan Jenkins, are questionable due to injury.

To get things done tonight, Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is going to have to finally earn his paycheck.  He comes into tonight’s game with just three touchdowns and an embarrassing four interceptions, three of which were stolen by the Indianapolis Colts in last Sunday’s 36-7 loss.  That resulted in a passer rating of just 47, and it’s time to make huge changes if he’s going to prove himself.

Broncos Turnaround Still Hasn’t Happened

The Broncos also had a poor season last year, finishing with the same record as the Jets.  The talk was on this being a much better year for the team, but then Drew Lock went down with a major injury and is still going to miss a couple more weeks before he can get back in the Broncos saddle.  Backup QB Jeff Driskel stepped up, but will hand over the reins to Brett Rypien to see what he has to offer.

Denver has several important players locked up on injured reserve, including linebacker Von Miller, defensive linesman Jurrell Casey and wide receiver Cortland Sutton.  Linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu is also going to be out tonight, and the combined loss of strength puts the Broncos in a position of having to completely rework their attack strategy.

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Fortunately, they can use tonight’s game to see how well the new plays work before they have to meet a much tougher New England Patriots team next week.

What To Expect Tonight

The Jets have the worst performance in the NFL right now, only averaging 12.3 points per game.  Their red zone action is a dismal 33.33%, while the Broncos is tied for fourth in the NFL with 44.44% (both based only on TD results).  This is going to be a clash game, most likely with no shortage of errors and miscues.  Both teams started last season 0-4 and didn’t improve a substantial amount after that, but things won’t be the same after tonight.

The Jets are getting the benefit of the doubt; Unibet has them as favorites at -120.  The Broncos are only slightly lower at -103.  Having Rypien in for the Broncos could be the edge the Jets need to win the game.  The spread leaning toward the Jets at just -1 (-110) may give pause to gamblers since team has gone 0-3 against the spread this season, but it’s worth a little extra bonus bet.  The Over/Under is 41 (-110), and, with two banged-up benches and weak offensive performances this season, it’s hard to imagine the score even coming close.

Erik is a writer and a sports nut who has had the good fortune to be able to experience a wide variety of world sports action up close and personal. He enjoys staying on top of the changing world of athletics and capitalizing on his writing skills to offer a unique take on what's going on in the ever-changing athletics ecosystem.

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