The Jets continued their winning streak on Sunday with a 16–9 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 7, bringing them to 4–2 on the young season.
Gang Green saw many different players contributing to the victory, which came against Denver’s backup quarterback Brett Rypien, as starter Russell Wilson missed the game with a nagging injury.
Now, we’ll look at who performed well, and who struggled with another edition of Studs and Duds.
Like each week, this column will only look at the performance in the most recent game, identifying who stepped up and who struggled — and what fans can expect from the New York roster in the weeks to come.
Duds
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first.
Breece Hall’s health
While securing the win was a major boost for the Jets, it came with the devastating injury news that Breece Hall is likely out for the remainder of the season.
Hall was carted off with an ACL tear, ending his triumphant rookie season.
He finishes his rookie campaign having rushed 80 times for 463 yards and four touchdowns. He added another 19 catches for 218 yards in the air.
On Sunday, Hall added a 62 yard rushing touchdown, which put the Jets up by seven points early in the game.
Corey Davis’ health
With Elijah Moore sitting out of the game after requesting a trade, it looked like Davis would be the likely beneficiary. But that was not the case on Sunday, as Davis was targeted only once in the game, and caught no passes. He later left the game with a knee injury.
Davis has caught 19 passes this season for 351 yards and two touchdowns.
It remains to be seen how serious the knee injury is, but he told reporters that he felt fine enough to go back in the game. Still, it is worrisome for the Jets that two of their star players are now dealing with leg injuries.
Studs
Now for some good news.
The Jets rushing defense
Facing a backup quarterback who has only thrown a handful of passes in the NFL, the Jets knew that the Broncos would attempt to win the game by running the ball.
But, even with a stellar back in Melvin Gordan, the Broncos weren’t able to get what they needed on the ground, and were forced to rely on Rypien to pass a whopping 46 times.
Gordan recorded 33 yards on 11 carries, while Latavius Murray added another 24 yards on eight carries. The Broncos totaled 105 yards on the ground.
And beyond the number, any observer could see the way that the C.J.-Mosley-and-Quincy-Williams-led defensive front was brutalizing their opponent on Sunday.
Michael Carter’s versatility
After the devastating injury to Hall, Michael Carter took the field and showed that he can fill some of the role that is now lost to health problems.
It wasn’t a terrific performance on the ground, as he rushed 13 times for just 29 yards, but he managed to catch two passes for 45 yards. With Carter figuring to be the feature back going forward, it is good to see him getting involved in a big way in the passing game.
Perhaps that is something that can sooth the sadness of fans reeling from the Hall Injury.
Robert Saleh
Jet head coach Robert Saleh deserves a ton of credit for the team’s gritty performance on Sunday, and the way they’ve been carrying themselves over the past few weeks.
Despite the star rookie getting hurt, which could have devastated the team, they rallied together with confidence and determination — something that has been missing from the Jets for several years.
Saleh is a true leader-of-men, which doesn’t always work in the NFL, but it seems to be working out great for this Jets team.
