Denver vs. New York Jets: Complete Week 6 Preview for Broncos
The Denver Broncos (3-1) will hit the road for the second time this season on Sunday when they travel to MetLife Stadium to battle the New York Jets (1-4).
This trip to MetLife Stadium should be much more successful than their last, which was Super Bowl XLVIII.
These two teams have not played each other since 2011, a 17-13 victory for the Broncos. Denver leads the all-time series 18-15-1, and the Jets have not defeated the Broncos since October 2010.
Jets head coach Rex Ryan will have to pull out all the stops against a Denver team that is rolling after their big victory over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Continue reading for more on this game, including an injury report and key matchups to look for.
Broncos Week 5 Recap
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In Week 5, two teams coming off their bye weeks squared off at Sports Authority Field in Denver. The Broncos were able to hand the Cardinals their first defeat of the season.
Denver put up 41 points, as Peyton Manning threw for a career-high 479 yards, with 226 of those going to Demaryius Thomas.
Thomas bounced back from an early-season slump, setting a new single-game record for receiving yards previously held by Shannon Sharpe. Thomas also scored two touchdowns.
The Broncos amassed 568 yards of total offense, and Manning also joined Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks to throw 500 touchdowns in their careers.
Defensively, the Broncos held Arizona to just 215 total yards of offense while also allowing them to go just 3-for-16 on third down.
The Cardinals were able to keep the score close for a while, even with third-string quarterback Logan Thomas forced into action. But the Broncos pulled away late by scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
News and Notes
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Broncos Work Out a Pair of Running Backs, Choose Not to Offer a Contract
After watching Montee Ball leave last Sunday's game against Arizona with what turned out to be a groin injury, the Broncos are being proactive in finding potential replacements while he is out.
Ronnie Hillman will likely shoulder most of the load, but the team chose to bring in veteran NFL players Mikel Leshoure and LaRod Stephens-Howling for workouts this week.
Leshoure is a former second-round pick of the Detroit Lions, but he was cut just before this season started. He ran for just 807 yards and nine touchdowns in his career there.
At 5'7", Stephens-Howling is not an every-down running back, but he can be very dangerous if a team uses him right, as Arizona did while he played there.
After moving to the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent prior to the 2013 season, Stephens-Howling tore his ACL before the season started and never played a down for Pittsburgh.
Apparently, the Broncos didn't see enough in either player to offer a contract, as was reported by Mike Klis of The Denver Post.
There's no reason to argue that, but the fact that they are looking at players like this might indicate that Ball's injury may be very serious.
Denver Was Interested in Ronnie Brown Too?
The Broncos aren't desperate at the running back position, you say?
According to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego, they were interested in bringing Ronnie Brown in to help replace Ball. However, he decided to go back to the San Diego Chargers instead.
Brown played for the Chargers for two seasons prior to signing with the Houston Texans in August. They released him earlier this month, and the Chargers, with plenty of injuries of their own at running back, swooped in.
Brown is 32 years old and may not have much tread left on the tires. It makes you wonder why the Broncos were looking that far down the list of available running backs.
Hillman, Juwan Thompson and C.J. Anderson should be sufficient in the absence of Ball.
Julius Thomas Fined for Chop Block
In Week 5 against Arizona, tight end Julius Thomas went low for a chop block on Arizona defensive end Calais Campbell that was not only illegal, but knocked Campbell out of the game.
Campbell will miss a few weeks with the injury, and as Adam Schefter tweeted, Thomas has been fined $8,268 for the play.
"NFL fined Broncos TE Julius Thomas $8268 for his chop block on Cardinals DE Calais Campbell, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 8, 2014"
Hopefully, Thomas will learn not to make a careless play such as that again, but one could also say that frustrated Arizona head coach Bruce Arians overreacted just a little bit.
"Cardinals HC Bruce Arians called Julius Thomas' chop block on Denver South grad Calais Campbell "dirtiest play I've ever seen (in NFL).''
— Jeff Legwold (@Jeff_Legwold) October 6, 2014"
While Thomas may be a little lighter in the wallet, hopefully it's not a play that earns him the reputation of being a dirty player.
Injury Report
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| Juwan Thompson | Running Back | Questionable |
| David Bruton | Safety | Probable |
| Chris Harris | Cornerback | Probable |
| Montee Ball | Running Back | Questionable |
| Andre Caldwell | Wide Receiver | Probable |
| Brandon McManus | Kicker | Probable |
| Lerentee McCray | Linebacker | Probable |
Injury report courtesy of CBS Sports
Montee Ball is officially listed as questionable, but he won't play in this game. The injury status to keep an eye on is that of Juwan Thompson.
Thompson scored his first career touchdown last Sunday against Arizona, but he injured his knee in the same game. After being held out of practice on Wednesday, Thompson was back at it on Thursday, as reported by Jeff Legwold of ESPN.
The Broncos have been relatively fortunate with injuries this season, aside from the groin injury to Ball. They can't afford to lose another running back, as that would force them to sign someone off the street or bring up a guy like Kapri Bibbs from the practice squad.
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X-Factor Players and Key Matchups to Watch
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Demaryius Thomas vs. Dee Milliner
If the Jets have any hope of hanging in with the Broncos, they will have to figure out how to defend Demaryius Thomas.
Second-year cornerback Dee Milliner will likely draw the assignment, and he will have his hands full. Thomas is a big receiver with deceptive speed, and he will present one of the biggest challenges of Milliner's young career.
Peyton Manning will probably try to exploit this matchup often. He targeted Thomas 16 times last Sunday against Arizona.
Aqib Talib vs. Eric Decker
The Jets lack playmakers on offense, but Eric Decker is their No. 1 wide receiver. That means he'll draw Denver's top defensive back, Aqib Talib.
Decker left Denver via free agency in March, and one of the intriguing storylines in this game will center around him playing his former team.
Perhaps he's making big money in New York, but he may yearn for his time in Denver by the time this game is over.
"#Jets week RT @MaseDenver: Eric Decker says his hamstring is "day to day."
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) October 8, 2014"
Talib should have no problems limiting Decker's production, especially since Decker has been slowed by a hamstring injury in recent weeks.
Terrance Knighton and Sylvester Williams vs. Jets' Running Game
The Jets should employ a strategy of trying to run the football against Denver, taking pressure off quarterback Geno Smith.
New York head coach Rex Ryan has always preferred a power running game, attacking the middle of a defense. That means defensive tackles Terrance Knighton and Sylvester Williams need to be ready to push back.
Jets running back Chris Ivory is averaging an impressive 5.4 yards per carry on the season. The Jets will lean heavily on him in this game.
X-Factor Player: Ronnie Hillman
Denver running back Ronnie Hillman will get the start this Sunday, and he will seize the opportunity that is in front of him and perform well against the Jets.
After Montee Ball was anointed as the running back of the future in Denver, Hillman was merely an afterthought. Now, he has a chance to show fans what made him a third-round draft pick.
"Peyton Manning on Ronnie Hillman: "This is a great opportunity for Ronnie ...We're counting on him.''
— Jeff Legwold (@Jeff_Legwold) October 8, 2014"
Though the Jets allow just 83 yards per game on the ground, the Broncos will find success running the ball after Manning breaks their defense down through the air.
Expect Hillman to be a factor as a receiver out of the backfield as well, catching four or five passes.
If Hillman is ever going to make an impact for the Broncos, the time is now.
Prediction
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With the current state of these two organizations, this could be the most lopsided game of the entire NFL season. That's not to say that the Jets are the worst team in the league; they'll just be up against a buzz saw on Sunday.
The Broncos will look to build off the momentum of a convincing win over the Arizona Cardinals. The Jets are a team that they should beat, so they can't get complacent and overlook them.
Odds Shark currently lists the Broncos as a 10.5-point favorite, and the Broncos should have no trouble covering that.
Denver just has too many weapons, and the Jets have lost four games in a row. They are coming off a 31-0 drubbing at the hands of the San Diego Chargers.
This game has all the makings of a blowout, and there's really no reason to think that it won't be.
Prediction: Broncos 44, Jets 7
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