Many people around the NFL are dismissing the New York Jets in Week 6 vs. the Denver Broncos. But not Sean Payton.
The Broncos’ head coach echoed his quarterback, Bo Nix, on Friday, relative to the mythical “trap game” in the NFL (see the video above). Nix said he doesn’t believe in trap games, while Payton emphasized how the talent level in the NFL is so off the charts that no opponent can be taken for granted.
The Jets signed quarterback Justin Fields, and they’ve stayed committed to the run game with Breece Hall. Plus, one of Payton’s former coaching pupils, Aaron Glenn, is now the head coach in New York.
Glenn has been in the inner sanctum of Payton’s coaching staff and knows how the sausage gets made. The truth is, the Jets present some threats that Payton finds concerning.
“There are a number of things. Obviously, they’re running the ball extremely well, really well. We’ve seen Fields and his explosiveness,” Payton said on Friday. “He’s involved in the run game. I think the runner [Hall] is having one of his better seasons. The young receiver [Garrett Wilson] is explosive. The run game is going to be really important.”
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Hall has 352 rushing yards and his averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Fields has more than double the rushing yards that Nix has through five games. The Jets rank third in the NFL, rushing for 144.4 yards per game.
New York’s offensive has been sputtering when it comes to the pass, but they’re a force to be reckoned with on the ground. And just when opponents start loading the box, and selling out to stop the run, that’s when the Jets dial up a play-action shot for Wilson to hit Wilson for chunk yardage.
However, if the Broncos can stop the Jets’ run game, it’s hard to see Fields having himself a day. The Broncos have an excellent defense, but the unit has been inconsistent through five games.
Payton also pointed to his own side of the street when it came to sharing some of the concerns he has about this game, before focusing on the challenge that is Glenn. Payton admires how hard the Jets are playing for Glenn, even if it’s yet to come together.
“Offensively, that first half last week, eliminating some of the self-inflicted, the things that slow you down or keep you from getting momentum,” Payton said. “They do a really good job in the special teams phase. The other thing is this, and I’ve known Aaron Glenn a long time. As a player, he was with us in Dallas, and then luckily, I was able to hire him as a coach. You see a team that’s playing their tails off. A different type team relative to their structure compared to last week. But nonetheless, the focus is really on us and being ready to go.”
Long story short, the Broncos can’t afford to sleep on the Jets. And they won’t — not with a veteran coach like Payton leading the way and keeping everyone’s mind right.