Jets fail to improve offensively, fall to 0-3

The Jets offense, led by rookie quarterback Zach Wilson, remained stagnant in its third consecutive loss on Sunday.

The New York Jets‘ rough start to the 2021 regular season continued Sunday in Denver — the Week 3 defeat was their worst thus far.

Neither side of the ball stepped up for Gang Green in what was a 26-0 loss to the Broncos, but it was the offense that was the true disappointment in the matchup.

Fans hoped this unit, after putting up just six points against the Patriots in Week 2, would at least slightly improve when facing the Broncos.

However, that didn’t end up becoming the case.

The Zach Wilson-led group was on the negative end of a Mile High shutout, failing to score a single point throughout the duration of the contest. New York totaled an abysmal 162 yards on the day and was just 4-for-13 on third-down conversions. The Jets additionally punted six times while the offensive line (sans Mekhi Becton) allowed five sacks.

We knew facing this Broncos defense wasn’t going to be simple whatsoever. But the Jets didn’t exactly provide a glimpse of optimism; it was definitely a forgettable performance from the Florham Park faithful.

The Jets now drop to 0-3 on the year, and it doesn’t get any easier next week. New York faces the (2-1) Titans at home next Sunday (1:00 p.m. ET).

The Novice Signal-Caller

Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson played possibly the worst game of his life last week when he threw four interceptions against a Bill Belichick Pats defense.

Nonetheless, it’s normal for young quarterbacks to make mistakes and experience growing pains. Hitting the panic button following that Week 2 defeat would’ve been an overreaction.

But on Sunday, against the Broncos, Wilson didn’t show too many signs of improving.

It wasn’t an overly productive day for the No. 2 overall draft pick out of BYU. Wilson completed 19 of 35 passes for 160 yards and two interceptions. He’s now totaled seven picks through three weeks.

It’s not entirely his fault though — it’s a big ask to have a rookie quarterback take on the starting duties this early, especially with a struggling offensive line that’s without its starting left tackle. Not to mention, the run game didn’t exactly take much pressure off of him. The team’s leading rusher was rookie Michael Carter, who ran for just 24 yards on nine carries.

The Defensive Performance

The Jets defense was strong against New England and only allowed the Patriots to cross the plane once.

But the same can’t truly be said of the unit this week.

The Broncos, in total, gained 343 yards and notched a whopping 25 first downs. New York couldn’t really hold Teddy Bridgewater in check; the veteran quarterback threw for 235 yards on 19-of-25 passing.

New York also failed to contain the Broncos run game — as a team, Denver conjured up 120 yards on the ground.

This Jeff Ulbrich defense will grow from this performance and improve. Regardless, on Sunday afternoon, the unit couldn’t take pressure off the struggling Jets offense at all — simple as that.