Bumbling Broncos offer chance to build on win

DENVER — The Jets slayed their fourth-quarter demons a week ago in a dramatic victory over the Chiefs. Now, they will try to keep their good vibes and playoff push alive against another AFC West opponent.

The Jets face the struggling Broncos at Sports Authority Field on Sunday, clinging to their slim playoff chances and hoping to build off what they did last week in a 38-31 win over the Chiefs.

“It’s the crucial part of the season where each week the magnitude of the game increases,” linebacker Demario Davis said. “We’ve got to be ready to rise up, play good football and execute.”

The Jets did that last week — at least offensively. Josh McCown and Co. played their best game of the season, rolling up 488 yards of offense and controlling the ball for more than 42 minutes of the game. After blowing fourth-quarter leads three times this season, the Jets found a way to win against Kansas City. Can they do it again? “It’s very important to continue to build off of that,” running back Matt Forte said. “Some of the games that we dropped it was not finishing in the fourth quarter. If we can continue like we did, especially in the second half, of taking up the time of possession and also scoring in the red zone and getting third-down conversions, it would be huge. Executing when plays need to be made we need to make those plays.”

Denver stumbles into this game. The Broncos have lost eight straight games after beginning the year 3-1. They have played three quarterbacks this year. Trevor Siemian is back under center for Denver after losing his job to Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch earlier this season.

The Jets coaches have spent the week convincing their players the Broncos are a much better team than their 3-9 record indicates. They have the No. 5 overall defense and still have offensive weapons who scare opponents, such as Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

“I could not tell you that part of it,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said when asked about Denver’s struggles. “I just know what I see on film. They play hard, they’re talented. They had some unfortunate breaks. We know we’re going to be in for a dogfight.”

The Jets have not won two games in a row since early October. This is another test if they can handle prosperity.

“It’s all about growth,” Bowles said. “Hopefully, we can come back and double it up.”