Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets: What Are Experts Saying About New York?
The New York Jets are quickly spiraling out of control.
Gang Green have dropped four consecutive games after winning their opener, and now sit dead last in the AFC East at 1-4. Their last defeat, a 31-0 embarrassment at the hands of the San Diego Chargers, was one of the worst in recent memory.
Things don't get any easier for the Jets this week, either, as they must face future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos.
It's a must-win situation for Rex Ryan and Co., but it's also the team's toughest contest to date.
Click through to see what the experts are saying about this Sunday's game.
Geno Smith Deserves to Be Benched
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Geno Smith's career as a starting quarterback seems to dwindle with each passing week.
The second-year signal-caller is off to a horrific start this season, having thrown just four touchdowns to six interceptions and completed just over 58 percent of his passes.
Smith seems to make mistakes when it matters most, and that led Rex Ryan to bench him in the second half of the game against the Chargers in favor of Michael Vick.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News thinks that switch should be permanent. Mehta points out several reasons why Smith should be demoted, citing the former second-round pick's lack of professionalism and on-field struggles in recent weeks.
Yes, Smith did miss a team meeting on Saturday after failing to come back from a movie, and yes, he did curse out a yelling fan after the loss against Detroit.
But Mehta is ignoring one critical thing. Michael Vick isn't Aaron Rodgers. He isn't immediately going to step up and lead the team to its first divisional title in over a decade.
Vick struggled just as much as Smith did last week, and the veteran can't lead the team beyond this year.
If Smith continues to play poorly, by all means give up on the West Virginia product. But don't expect Vick to provide a miracle, as the Jets simply lack the talent around him.
Rex Ryan Is Coaching for His Job
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Rex Ryan saved his job after outperforming expectations and winning eight games with one of the most talent-starved rosters in the NFL last year.
However, it doesn't look like Rex will be at the helm much longer after a disastrous start to the season.
As Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman points out, Ryan will take the fall for New York's struggles, even if they aren't even close to being entirely his fault.
Ryan's been forced to make do with a team that lacks offensive weapons at seemingly every position and a secondary that could be the worst in all of football.
Add the fact that Ryan has never gotten half-decent play from his starting quarterback, and it's frankly a miracle he's managed to survive this long.
The Jets have overperformed throughout Ryan's tenure, but many people still believe they are better off without the bombastic head coach.
I still believe in Rex's ability to lead this team, but the people who write his paycheck have lost faith in him, even if it's actually their fault.
Peyton Manning Should Have a Field Day Against the Jets
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This could get ugly.
A week after getting torched by the Chargers' passing attack, New York's awful secondary must now take on the most dangerous passing game in the NFL in the Denver Broncos.
Peyton Manning could be in for a scary-good day against Gang Green, according to Gary Myers of the New York Daily News.
Manning threw for 479 yards and four touchdowns against a strong Cardinals defense last week, and he's now passed for over 6,750 yards, 67 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions in his last 20 regular season games.
With Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker all at Manning's disposal on Sunday, the Jets don't stand much of a chance.
Manning could easily toss for 500 yards if he pleased, but he will probably lessen up in the second half if the Broncos roar out to a big lead.
At least that's what Philip Rivers did last week after he passed for nearly 250 yards in the first half alone.
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Jets Need to Improve in a Lot of Areas to Overcome Broncos
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Geno Smith gets the majority of the blame, but the Jets have a lot of issues besides quarterback.
Kimberly Jones of NFL.com highlighted a great deal of New York's problems this past week.
Jones points out that Gang Green is allowing 25.4 points per game (21st in the league), 62.7 yards per scoring drive (26th in the NFL) and conversions on 47.3 of their opponents' third-down attempts (24th in the league).
Oh, and the secondary has allowed 10 touchdowns and a 110.4 passer rating in the last four games, which is by far the worst in football.
New York's offensive efficiency also ranks among the lowest in the NFL, and its receiving corps and offensive line have both been subpar.
The Jets have a lot of areas to improve upon if they are going to pull off a miracle and upset the Broncos, and they need a complete game from nearly everyone on the roster.
The Jets Beating the Broncos Would Be One of the Upsets of the Year
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Not many people think Gang Green's going to pull of the upset, though.
Every single one of the 16 Bleacher Report experts has the Broncos beating the Jets handily, and the folks over at ESPN are also in unanimous agreement that Denver will pull off the win.
The guys over at NFL.com also envision a Broncos victory, as do the experts over at CBS Sports.
To put it simply, there isn't a soul in America that is confident the Jets can defeat Peyton Manning and Co. at home.
The lack of faith in New York is unsurprising, considering the team is coming off an embarrassing blowout loss and is facing a Broncos team billed as Super Bowl favorites.
If the Jets can pull off the upset, it'll be one of the biggest the NFL has seen in recent memory.
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