Both franchises are 0-3 after a disappointing start to the season marred by injuries and major headaches, albeit for different reasons, at quarterback.
Here’s all you need to know ahead of TNF.
Kickoff time—The Jets host the Broncos at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p. m. ET on Thursday, October 1. TV channel—NFL NetworkLive stream—NFL Network website and NFL Network app on connected devices, Yahoo Sports app and fuboTV. Odds—The Broncos are a 1. 5-point favorite with FanDuel and even odds to cover the spread, while the over/under line for total points scored is set at 40. In moneyline terms, Denver is a 9/10 favorite, while the Jets are at 47/50. Series history—The Broncos lead the all-time series 19-16-1 and have won three of the last four.
The Jets and the Broncos have the NFL’s worst and third-worst offense in terms of points scored and rank last and fourth-last in the league in yards.
To put into perspective just how bad the Jets have been so far this season, they scored 6 on a 0-to-100 scale on ESPN’s total efficiency metric, which measures the impact of a team’s offense, defense and special teams.
The Broncos haven’t fared much better and their plight is made arguably even worse by the fact that they, unlike the Jets, began the season with concrete hopes of reaching the playoffs.
Those hopes have been tarnished by a slew of injuries that has deprived Denver of a host of key players, including star edge rusher Von Miller, defensive tackle Jurrell Casey and linebacker Austin Calitro.
Linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, cornerback Davontae Harris and running back Phillip Lindsay are all in doubt for Thursday night, while Brett Rypien will replace Drew Lock at quarterback after replacing Jeff Driskel in the second half of Sunday’s 28-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Jets also have issues at quarterback, but their problems have nothing do to with injuries and everything to do with Sam Darnold’s form. The third overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft has shown worrying signs of regression, completing 61.5 percent of his passes for 562 yards—the fifth-worst in the NFL—for just three touchdowns, four interceptions and a passer rating of 28.8—the third-worst in the league.
Earlier this week, Jets head coach Adam Gase dismissed rumors the franchise may be looking to move on from their quarterback.
“It’s not always going to be smooth,” he said.
“You’re going to go through times where it’s tough on him and it’s tough when we’re trying to call plays and things aren’t going the way we want them to. But that’s what we’re having to have to go through right now.”
Gase could well have been talking about his future, as he is the second-favorite to become the first coaching casualty of the season after a dismal start to the season.
ESPN reported on Sunday that the franchise was growing restless with Gase, whose head coaching record in New York now stands at 7-12, and a loss against the Broncos could well make his position untenable.
The Jets have been beset by injuries themselves, with wide receiver Breshad Perriman ruled out of Thursday night’s game, while fellow wideouts Jamison Crowder and Chris Hogan are both questionable, as are safety Ashtyn Davis, linebackers Jordan Jenkins and Jordan Willis, offensive lineman Mekhi Becton and defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers.
