The New York Jets head into Week 4 after blowing out the New England Patriots to move to 2-1. Aaron Rodgers' first complete game at MetLife Stadium was electric, winning 24-3 and hitting the mini-bye with momentum. Eyes will be on the Jets as they host the Broncos looking to move to 3-1. Ahead of that matchup, we'll be making our Jets Week 4 bold predictions.
The Jets dominated on offense and defense last Thursday in their rout of the Patriots. Rodgers tossed two touchdowns and threw for a season-high 281 yards. Without CJ Mosley and Jermaine Johnson, their defense dominated. Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye were sacked a combined seven times and the Patriots only mustered 139 total yards.
The Broncos' offense finally woke up in their Week 3 win over the Buccaneers. With Bo Nix potentially being a breakout star, New York will again be in the spotlight. Let's dive into our Jets Week 4 predictions.
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Aaron Rodgers finally cracks 300 passing yards
After over a year of waiting, Aaron Rodgers has finally donned the Jets green. In his three games, his passing performance has gotten progressively better. His 281 yards against the Patriots is his most since Week 9 of 2022 when he threw for 291. The Hall of Famer has not hit 300 since December of 2021. That drought will end on Sunday.
The Broncos defense was amazing on Sunday, holding the high-flying Buccaneers offense to just seven points. Baker Mayfield threw for only 163 yards in the game. Rodgers will be able to study that tape and dissect the Broncos' defense just like he did to the Patriots in Week 3. The Jets will be led by their quarterback once again.
Looking ahead, the Jets travel to London to play the Vikings after this game. While Sam Darnold has been one of the surprises of the season, their defense has been amazing. Riding momentum is important headed into a game against Brian Flores's defense.
Breece Hall dominates the Broncos again
This is the third consecutive season where the Jets and Broncos have faced each other. The bizarre scheduling coincidence means that Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson have faced Denver in each of their professional seasons. Both matchups have been notable for Hall. He ripped off a big touchdown before tearing his ACL in 2022 and poured on 177 yards last year. Those great performances will continue in 2024.
The Broncos have allowed 126 rushing yards per game so far this season. While the Jets have used a two-back system so far this year, expect them to lean on Hall early in this game. Hall is the better receiving back than Braelon Allen right now and the short passing game will be key against a solid Denver secondary.
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Breece Hall will have over 100 total yards and a touchdown in this game. The Jets have spoken about their desire to beat Sean Payton and the Broncos after his comments on Nathaniel Hackett last year. Hall is the key to doing that. Without their star running back, it will be tough to win this game. Expect Hall to be the X-factor in a Jets win.
Jets sack Nix three times, led by Will McDonald
The Haason Reddick drama continues to play out, as the edge rusher remains unsigned. Jermaine Johnson is out for the season with an Achilles injury. Those losses put the spotlight directly on Will McDonald and he has shined. The second-year player already has five sacks, including two against the Patriots last week. He'll grab another, leading the Jets' defense to a three-sack game.
Bo Nix presents a different challenge than Jacob Brissett did last week. He showed an ability with his legs that many did not see coming. The rookie rushed for 47 yards on nine carries and scored a touchdown against the Buccaneers. That should not change the Jets' game plan from last week; to rush with their linebackers.
With no outside threats to speak of, the Jets were able to rush Brissett into poor decisions and rack up the sacks. They should continue to do that this week. Courtland Sutton is the only receiver of note on the Broncos and they can trust Sauce Gardner to keep him at bay. Making Nix uncomfortable will force quick drives and get the ball back in Rodgers' hands.
