Week 4 – Who are the 3 Key Players for a Broncos Victory? – Broncos at Jets

By Keith Richards

In Week 3, the Denver Broncos avoided a third consecutive season of starting 0-3 by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-7. In Week 4, it starts all over for the Broncos as they head to MetLife Stadium to take on Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. The Jets have won two straight since being soundly defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1.

Once again, in Week 4, this Broncos team faces a stiff road test against a team that beat them last year with a quarterback who now plays for Denver: Zach Wilson.  Aaron Rodgers is not Zach Wilson, and this is an improved Jets team from last season.  So, what can the Broncos do to secure a second consecutive win in Week 4?  Here are the three key players the Broncos will need to lean on in Week 4 to walk away with another win.

Riley Moss – Cornerback

When the Denver Broncos won their last Super Bowl in 2015, their defensive backfield earned the nickname of No Fly Zone.  Since 2015, the Broncos have not only been looking for a replacement at quarterback, but they’ve also been looking for replacements to recreate the No Fly Zone in Denver.  After his Week 3 performance, the Broncos and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph hope Riley Moss can continue his growth in Week 4.

The reputation of Patrick Surtain II is already a big one across the NFL.  That was ensured when the Denver Broncos (at the time) signed him to the most lucrative contract ever for a cornerback.  To start his NFL career, Surtain has not had a solid running mate on the opposite side of the field.  Riley Moss could be the CB2 the Broncos were looking for.

In Week 3, Moss was given the tough assignment of manning Chris Godwin.  PSII was tasked with Mike Evans – an assignment Surtain passed with flying colors.  Evans was targeted only three times and had two receptions for 17 yards.  Riley Moss would not be outdone.  For his part, Moss was the highest-graded cornerback with PFF, receiving a score of 91.1. 

While Moss conceded a score to Godwin, he held Godwin to just six receptions for 53 yards.  Chris got the best of the matchup by catching 67% of the passes thrown in his direction, but Riley got the last laugh in the end.  Godwin’s TD reception was the only score of the game for Tampa Bay.  The icing on the cake for Riley Moss is that he forced the fumble that effectively ended the game for the Bucs.

In Week 4, the Denver Broncos will need a similar performance from Riley Moss as they face the New York Jets.  Moss is unlikely to have a consistent assignment like Chris Godwin, but it’s safe to assume that he’ll see equal time against Allen Lazard and Mike Williams.  If the Broncos have any hopes of containing Aaron Rodgers in Week 4, they’ll need another outstanding performance from Riley Moss.

Tyler Badie – Running Back

For the first time this season, in their Week 3 victory, the Broncos had a leading rusher who was not Bo Nix. Unfortunately, that leading rusher was neither Javonte Williams nor Jaleel McLaughlin. It was third-year running back Tyler Badie. Against Tampa Bay, Badie had nine carries for 70 yards, which was good for 7.8 yards per carry.  It was something the Broncos have not had from a running back yet this season.

How did Williams and McLaughlin do?  Respectively, they managed five carries for 12 yards and five carries for seven yards.  That amounted to a disappointing 3.8 yards per carry combined from the two.  To his credit, Williams also had four receptions for 29 yards, but that’s not what the Broncos need from their running backs.  They need more performances in Week 4 and moving forward, like Badie’s one in Week 3. 

When a rookie quarterback faces aggressive defensive fronts, you want to accomplish two things.  First, you want to eliminate errors the rookie could commit by having the ball in their hands no more than needed.  A strong running game accomplishes that.  Second, you want the rookie to be able to see and process passing lanes and have better coverage to throw the ball into.  A strong running game accomplishes that as well.

If the Broncos can continue to force teams to commit more resources to the run, it will reduce the opportunities for the opposing defensive backfield to just sit on routes and stay static in their coverage.  Once that happens, you can have play-action pass plays that make the defensive backs second guess, which opens the playbook and gives Bo Nix more opportunities to throw the ball downfield. 

While we can’t say Nix blew anyone away with his downfield passing against Tampa Bay, he would have more opportunities to do so if Badie can have another game in Week 4 like he did in Week 3. The Jets’ defensive backs are stout.  If Denver can force Saleh and his coaches to commit the safeties to the run, not even Sauce Gardener can stop every big play from happening.

Cody Barton – Linebacker

On Wednesday, the Denver Broncos received a big blow to their chances of victory in Week 4 and their prospects for the rest of the season. It was announced that leading tackler Alex Singleton would miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a torn ACL.  Singleton’s production is going to be extremely difficult to replace.  In his first two seasons with the Broncos, Alex had 163 and 177 tackles, respectively.  With Josey Jewell now playing with the Panthers, Denver needs a replacement for Jewell and Singleton.  That replacement must be Cody Barton.

Now in his sixth season, Barton is in his first season with Denver. Cody was not expecting to be thrust into the situation he will be in against the Jets in Week 4.  Cody Barton will face an improved Jets offensive line that guides Breece Hall and Braelon Allen to 100.7 rushing yards per game. 

Even with Alex Singleton, the Broncos’ rush defense has been mediocre over the first three weeks of the season. Singleton excelled at not allowing too many running backs to get past the second level of the defense, but that job will now fall to Cody Barton.  On paper, Barton has been successful in his last two seasons.  In his last year in Seattle and his only year in Washington, Cody amassed 136 and 121 tackles, respectively. 

That was second on the team in 2022 in Seattle and first in 2023 in Washington.  To put things in perspective, however, Singleton led the Broncos in tackles in 2022 and 2023 by margins of 35 and 69 tackles, respectively.  That’s enormous shoes to fill.  If Cody Barton is not up to the task, it will be a long season for the Denver Broncos defense, starting in Week 4.

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