DENVER – It’s been a tumultuous week for the Jets leading up to today’s nearly-impossible task of trying to beat a Broncos team that looks like it could Super Bowl-bound.
For starters, the Jets were beaten 30-3 by the Panthers in Charlotte last Sunday.
Their week following the five-turnover loss consisted of a raging controversy about Herman Edwards’ future with the team, with speculation running rampant about him wanting out of the last two years of his contract so he could return to Kansas City, where his coaching career began.
Edwards spent the better part of the week trying to clarify and drive home his desire to remain with the Jets.
Meanwhile, Jets quarterback-for-the-moment Brooks Bollinger spent a week rehabbing his psyche in practice after throwing four interceptions in a five-pass stretch against the Panthers.
On top of all of those issues, the Jets’ offensive line depth is as thin as the Rocky Mountain air.
Their backup center, Pete Kendall, who had to take painkiller shots at halftime last week in order to play on, hardly practiced all week while he tried to rest his back spasms. If he can’t go, then backup guard Jonathan Goodwin, who’s been pressed into a starting role, shifts over to center, making room at guard for Steve Morley, who’s never played a down as a Jet.
If you’re confused, don’t worry. You get the picture.
This game, too, is not a good matchup for the Jets.
Let us count the ways:
* The 2-7 Jets have lost four games in a row. The 7-2 Broncos have won seven of their last eight.
* The Jets are 0-5 on the road. The Broncos are 5-0 at home.
* The Jets are a slow-starting group, having been outscored 61-7 in the first quarter of games this season. The Broncos have outscored their opponents 47-20 in the first quarter and, worse yet, 82-33 in the second quarter.
* The Jets have turned the ball over 22 times this season. The Broncos have only eight turnovers.
* The Broncos have rushed for nearly twice as many yards as the Jets – 1,487-746. They average 5.0 yards per carry, the Jets 3.4.
* Denver QB Jake Plummer has been sacked only 10 times this season. Jets QBs have been sacked 31 times.
* The Jets, too, have the pleasure of returning for the first time to the city of perhaps their greatest on-field disappointment in franchise history – their 1999 AFC Championship Game loss to the Broncos at the old Mile High Stadium in a game they led 10-0 in the first half.
There aren’t many remaining Jets from the game still on the roster, but no matter. It’s a painful memory nonetheless.
Curtis Martin, who played in that fateful game, was asked about it this week and recoiled, preferring not to talk about it. When pressed, Martin politely asked the reporter to please stop asking him about it. Martin, of course, had a costly and rare fumble in that game.
If we’ve painted a grim picture of this afternoon’s game, we apologize. We’re just trying to be realists.
“I don’t know if they’ll win the Super Bowl or not, but to me they’re playing very much like those Broncos teams in the late ’90s that I faced,” Kendall said.
“They get a lead, they take time off the clock because they can run the ball, they make you make mistakes and they put pressure on you,” Edwards said. “They get you down two scores and with their ability to run the ball, it’s hard to catch them.”
Despite the significant odds against the Jets, there were no signs of resignation in their locker room this week.
“I never allow a situation to dictate what I’m going to do and how I’m going to approach my job,” Martin said. “I come in here every day and I will practice and play like we’re still going for the playoffs. I think it’s important as a player, professional and as a team that each individual continues to get better regardless of what the record or circumstances we’re in.”
One player in the Jets locker room, for the record, has not given up the chase for the playoffs.
“Yes I do,” LB Jonathan Vilma said when asked if he thinks the playoffs are still within reach. “I still feel that way. We still have all our division games aside from two left. If we can win out, we can still win our division and get there that way.”
JETS at Broncos, Today, 4:15 p.m.
ON THE AIR
TV: CH. 2
RADIO: ESPN (1050 AM)
WABC (770 AM)
THE LINE
JETS: +13
O/U: 40
INJURY REPORT
Jets: OUT: CB David Barrett (eye), RB Derrick Blaylock (ankle), QB Jay Fiedler (right shoulder). QUESTIONABLE: FB B.J. Askew (hamstring), G Pete Kendall (back), WR Harry Williams (knee), LB Kenyatta Wright (ankle). PROBABLE: RB Curtis Martin (knee).
Broncos: PROBABLE: CB Champ Bailey (hamstring), SS Sam Brandon (shoulder), DE Courtney Brown (knee), WR Ashley Lelie (knee), WR Darius Watts (ankle).
KEY MATCHUP
Jets LBs Jonathan Vilma, Victor Hobson and Mark Brown vs. Broncos RBs Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell, both of whom have more than 600 yards rushing. Relentless pursuit to the ball is required for survival.
NUMBER TO KNOW
165.2. That’s the average Broncos’ rushing yardage per game, which is ranked second in the NFL. The Broncos average 5.0 yards per carry.
JETS CONCERN
Staying in the game early. The Broncos specialize in putting teams in a hole early and the Jets specialize in putting themselves in a hole early. Denver has outscored its opponents 47-20 in the first quarter of games while the Jets have been outscored 61-7 in first quarters.
FOE FACT
Watch out for Broncos FB Kyle Johnson. He has 13 offensive touches this season and has scored five TDs.
PREDICTION
This is, quite simply, not a good matchup for the Jets. Every Jet weakness is a Bronco strength. Denver has rushed for almost twice the amount of yards the Jets have. The Broncos don’t turn the ball over. The Jets do. The Broncos get off to rapid starts. The Jets stall. This might amount to the lowpoint of the season.
BRONCOS 35
JETS 10