Brett Rypien Guides Broncos to 1st Win as Sam Darnold, Jets Fall to 0-4

It took four games, but the Denver Broncos are finally in the win column in 2020.

The New York Jets cannot say the same.

Denver defeated New York 37-28 in Thursday's AFC showdown at MetLife Stadium to improve to 1-3 on the campaign. Brett Rypien, Melvin Gordon III and Tim Patrick led the way for a Broncos team that is still looking up at everyone else in the early AFC West standings.

A solid showing from Jamison Crowder was not enough to prevent the Jets from falling to 0-4.

Notable Player Stats

• Brett Rypien, QB, DEN: 19-of-31 for 242 yards, 2 TDs and 3 INTs
• Melvin Gordon III, RB, DEN: 23 carries for 107 yards and 2 TDs; 2 catches for 11 yards
• Tim Patrick, WR, DEN: 6 catches for 113 yards and 1 TD
• Jerry Jeudy, WR, DEN: 2 catches for 61 yards and 1 TD
• Sam Darnold, QB, NYJ: 23-of-42 for 230 yards; 6 carries for 84 yards and 1 TD
• Jamison Crowder, WR, NYJ: 7 catches for 104 yards

Broncos' Aerial Attack vs. Pierre Desir Takes Center Stage

Where the Broncos would generate offense from was a primary storyline heading into the game.

After all, quarterback Drew Lock and running back Phillip Lindsay were among the inactives. While Gordon is a viable backup at running back who found the end zone twice, that also left the unproven Rypien under center.

The Boise State product had just nine career NFL passes entering play, but even he knew to target rookie Jerry Jeudy when matched up against cornerback Pierre Desir.

Denver took the lead in the second quarter when Rypien threw up a jump ball to Jeudy, who went over the top of Desir for an incredible touchdown. The individual effort from the Alabama product hinted at what is to come from the promising pass-catcher, and it also led to the Broncos targeting Desir as the game continued.

He allowed some catches as Rypien, who threaded a beautiful touchdown pass to Patrick late in the third quarter, settled into the flow of the game. 

However, the cornerback also intercepted a terrible throw-away attempt in the second quarter and then flipped the momentum of the game in the fourth with a pick-six as New York trailed by eight. 

Even though the Jets missed the two-point attempt, Rypien's confidence seemed gone, and he threw another pick on the ensuing possession to Brian Poole. He had a chance at redemption down one in the final minutes following the interceptions, though, and found it with a deep ball to Patrick on third down to set up a Brandon McManus field goal to go ahead for good.

Jets' Mistakes Overshadow Sam Darnold's Highlight-Reel Touchdown

At this point, the Jets are just looking for some consistency from Sam Darnold.

The No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft had an opportunity to get back on track against a winless team Thursday, and it looked like he was going to do just that on New York's first possession when he evaded pressure, took off with his legs, juked multiple defenders and found an opening for a 46-yard touchdown run that even impressed LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes:

That was one of the few bright spots for a team that made too many mistakes to overcome.

New York committed eight penalties for 83 yards in the first half alone, and one of the undisciplined unnecessary roughness flags set up Gordon's first touchdown. Even worse, the Jets' fifth personal foul of the game came on a third-down sack in the fourth-quarter drive that saw Denver take the lead for good.

It wasn't just the penalties as they settled for a field goal on a promising drive when Darnold tripped himself for a third-down sack. He also took a sack on a key fourth down with New York trailing by two in the final minutes, and the defense completely broke down after the two-minute warning and allowed Gordon to break through for a 43-yard touchdown to ice it.

The undisciplined performance was another reminder of how far the Jets are from competing as they dropped their fourth straight to start the season.

What's Next?

Both teams are in action in Week 5 when the Jets host the Arizona Cardinals and the Broncos are at the New England Patriots.