Two teams who are on 0-3 starts collide this Thursday, as the Denver Broncos travel east to face fellow winless team, New York Jets. Both teams had 0-4 starts last year, and each will be looking to avoid duplicating that humbling feat. Which team will break in the win column first? Check out our preview of this game below.
The Broncos are not going places with Jeff Driskel under center. In Week 3, the Broncos were absolutely mauled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 28-10 home loss, as Driskel coughed up just 176 passing yards on 17-of-30 completions with a touchdown and an interception, while also getting sacked five times for a loss of 45 yards. But the Broncos have no better alternative as of the moment under center, so they will just have to roll with Driskel, who’ll be protected by an offensive line that has been malfunctioning of late. Driskel, who is the Broncos’ temporary starter in lieu of the injured Drew Lock, however, will at least not feel intimidated by their next opponent in the form of the Jets. The Broncos have been bad this season, but they are not on the same misery index as New York, which would most likely give Denver bonuses with its undisciplined play; The Jets are 27th in the league with 0.06 penalties per play and 23rd with 7.0 penalties per game.
The under is 3-1 in the Broncos’ last four games overall.
The Jets are like a dumpster on fire, as they hit a 0-3 start to the season after losing to the Indianapolis Colts on the road, 36-7. Sam Darnold has totally underwhelmed in their first three games of the year, but not everything bad should be pinned on the quarterback. Darnold passed for only 168 yards on 17-of-29 pass completions with a touchdown against three interceptions — two were returned for touchdowns. The Jets are lacking many of the key starters on offense, with Breshad Perriman, Jamison Crowder, and LeVeon Bell all currently labeled out together with right tackle George Fant. But if you’re looking for some encouraging factors for the Jets ahead of their game against Denver, just consider the fact that on a short week, New York will be playing at home, so the team should recover quicker than the Broncos. The Jets’ pass rush could also find success against the Broncos’ offensive line that’s given up 13 sacks since Week 2.
The Jets are 3-2 against the spread in their last five home games, dating back to last season.
