The Denver Broncos earned their signature win against the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. This weekend, they have an international game taking on the New York Jets, who are winless on the season. With that said, let’s take a deeper look at the Jets, some key players, and what the Broncos have to earn their fourth win of the season in London.
2024 New York Jets Season Review
The Robert Saleh Era came to an end last season after the Jets finished 3rd in the AFC East with a 5-12 record. They struggled
on both sides of the ball and were ranked 24th in points scored and yards gained on offense. On defense, they were 20th in points allowed and 3rd in yards allowed.
2025 New York Jets Offseason Additions and Departures
Along with Saleh being dismissed, the Jets also parted ways with Aaron Rodgers. This season, Aaron Glenn is their new Head Coach and former first-round pick Justin Fields is their new starting quarterback. They brought in a handful of defenders on one-year deals to upgrade their defense, but their biggest signing was at safety with Andre Cisco.
The Jets primary focus in the 2025 NFL Draft was to improve their offense. They started off by picking Mizzou standout tackle Armand Membou in the first round and made a move to secure Mason Taylor to be their tight end of the future. Both players have performed well to start the season and look to be long-term solutions at that position for the franchise.
Offensive X-Factor: Running Back Breece Hall
Originally, Justin Fields was slated here due to his dual-threat ability. Instead, opted to go with fourth year running back Breece Hall. Through five games, Hall has 66 for 351 yards—good enough for a 5.3 yard per carry average. He has also been a fixture in their passing game with in 17 catches on 24 targets for 150 yards.
The flow of their offense starts with him. So far, he is responsible for 25 of their first downs this season and already has over 500 all-purpose yards through five games. The Broncos did a great job of limiting the Saquon Barkley and the Eagles’ rushing attack last week and they will need to do that again against the Jets.
Just like Barkley and Jonathan Taylor, Hall’s ability as a three-down back and dynamic receiver out of the backfield will be something Denver’s defense has to account for. If they are able to slow down Hall’s performance and force Fields to beat them with his arm, the Broncos will improve their chances of coming away with a victory in London.
Defensive X-Factor: Cornerback Sauce Gardner
Wide receiver Courtland Sutton has had a fantastic start to his 2025 season posting quality numbers in four of his first five games. He and Bo Nix continue their strong bond that ignited after the team’s bye week last season. This Sunday, Sutton will be going up against one of the best cornerbacks in the game in Sauce Gardner, who I have tabbed as their defensive X-Factor.
Since coming into the NFL in 2022, Gardner has earned a host of accolades including being a two-time All-Pro and Pro-Bowler, as well as the Defensive Rookie of the Year in ’22. His size, length, and physicality at the line of scrimmage will be a handful for Sutton. In their matchup last season, Sutton caught three of nine targets for 60 yards and Denver’s only touchdown of the game. Going head-to-head in 2023, Sutton had just one reception for 13 yards facing Gardner.
This is going to be a fun matchup to watch. If Sutton isn’t able to win one-on-one against Gardner consistently, Nix is going to have to find other receivers in the passing game. I’m optimistic Sutton in his third time facing Gardner will have his best game going up against him on Sunday.
How the Broncos can secure a victory over the Jets
The Jets might be an 0-5 team, but the Broncos certainly aren’t going to care about that. All that matters to them is taking care of business. I think one of the big factors of success is going to be generating turnovers. The Jets have turned the ball over at least once in every game thus far and have eight on the season. This is a week where Vance Joseph’s defense can be aggressive and hopefully forced some turnovers. If the Broncos offense is able to capitalize off them, that would go a long way toward notching their fourth win of the season.
Hart’s Prediction: Broncos 27, Jets 13.
