GANG RUNS WILD!
Jets buck Broncos with huge ground gains and stop three-game skid:
The Jets pulled off a marvelous magic act Sunday that surely left some armchair quarterbacks befuddled, bewildered and bemused: Maybe this team isn’t led by a bunch of clueless guys after all. The Jets punctuated a week filled with a mountain of doubt and criticism with an offensive eruption in a 34-16 rout of the Broncos.
Snapping a three-game losing streak must have been a miracle.
After all, the charlatans already concluded that Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates weren’t fit to coach Pop Warner, let alone a professional outfit.
So, Hallelujah! There must have been some divine intervention, right?
The truth, of course, is that Bowles, Bates and the rest of the guys paid to coach these players are plenty good enough to lead the Jets in the right direction. Gang Green’s second victory of the season was further evidence of what this team could become… given time.
“I’m excited for what the future looks like,” wide receiver Quincy Enunwa said. “It’s a glimpse of what we can be.”
Bates’ offense racked up 512 total yards thanks to an offensive line that opened holes during a ridiculous 323-yard rushing day and a three-touchdown performance from their rookie quarterback.
No, these guys aren’t the Greatest Show on FieldTurf, but there is promise if you’re actually patient with a group led by a quarterback with a grand total of five games of NFL experience.
“It’s just a matter of time until we click and our offense is rolling on all cylinders,” said Sam Darnold, who went 10-for-22 for 198 yards, three touchdowns, 1 INT and a 98.1 passer rating. “It’s going to be fun to watch us in the next couple weeks.”
Darnold made timely passes, but the offensive linemen deserve to be on the marquee after their flat-out dominating performance. Isaiah Crowell rushed for a franchise-record 219 yards on just 15 carries thanks to plenty of power, elusiveness, speed and giant freakin’ holes. His 77-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter sparked Bowles’ team.
“When he breaks a long one like that, it inspires the offensive line,” Bowles said of Crowell, whose 14.6 yards per carry were the most in NFL history for a player with at least 15 carries, according to Elias. “Those guys got rolling.”
It was sweet vindication for Crowell, who was vilified for his toilet-paper substitute endorsement deal in the wake of his butt-wiping touchdown celebration a couple weeks ago. When Crowell and Bilal Powell (20 carries for 99 yards) weren’t carving up Denver’s defense on the ground, Darnold was pushing the ball downfield.
The Jets’ ground success made life easier for their young signal caller, who hooked up with Robby Anderson for a 76-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to give them a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Anderson torched Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby by around five yards to give him his longest play of the season.
“It seemed like nobody was out there,” said Anderson, who had three catches for 123 yards and two scores. “I looked back and I forgot that he was even on the field.” It was that kind of day for an offense that is a work in progress. Darnold tossed another perfect pass to Anderson on a 35-yard touchdown just before halftime to give the Jets an 11-point halftime lead that they wouldn’t cough up like they did a couple weeks ago in Cleveland. The offense’s previous inability to generate explosive plays was more about a rookie quarterback finding his way and developing a rhythm with his supporting cast than anything else.
“They were big,” Bowles said of the explosive plays. “They help a lot. It’s hard to score going down the field with three- and five-yard pops. We knew we needed some more chunk plays.”
The only way any of it was possible was because the offensive line put together its best game of the season.
“It was almost a dream,” said left tackle Kelvin Beachum, whose group turned Von Miller into the Invisible Man (no sacks or quarterback hits). “But we got to keep things in perspective.”
Fair enough, but give credit where it’s due. The offensive line was the engine behind the Jets’ second 500-plus yard performance since 2000.
“Everything started with them,” Anderson said. “None of those plays down the field, none of those runs would have happened without the O-line.” Bowles’ defense atoned for its embarrassing display last week in Jacksonville by flummoxing Case Keenum until garbage time. On a day when the Jets were without defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers due to illness, Bowles had a brilliant plan to neutralize Denver.
“(It was) the same type of preparation that we had for this week is what we had for Detroit,” linebacker Darron Lee said. “We had a little bit of adversity during that three-game stretch. It was a good learning experience. I’m glad it happened early for us. But now we have… a solid foundation of how this is supposed to look. We’re looking to build on it.”
How could that be? Weren’t the Jets supposed to be led by a bunch of bums? “We’re capable of winning a lot of games,” Darnold said. It’s not always going to be this easy, but know this: The Jets have some smart people leading the way.