The Denver Broncos improved to .500 on Sunday following their 10-9 victory over the New York Jets on the road. Here are five quick takeaways from the win.
1. Justin Strnad stepped up: Following the Alex Singleton injury, Strnad started across from Cody Barton at inside linebacker and played well. Strnad finished the day with four tackles (two behind the line of scrimmage) and one sack. The Broncos added two veteran linebackers to their practice squad after the Singleton injury, but Strnad played well enough to start again in Week 5.
2. Pat Surtain does it again: PS2 essentially shut down DK Metcalf, George Pickens and Mike Evans through the first three games of the season. That trend continued on Sunday as Surtain held Garrett Wilson to two catches for 22 yards. PS2 is playing like the best cornerback in the NFL.
3. Javonte Williams got back on track: After struggling early this season, Williams looked more like his pre-injury self against the Jets on Sunday. Williams finished the game with 16 carries for 77 yards, an average of 4.8 yards per carry. Denver’s offense had a strong showing on the ground overall as Jaleel McLaughlin added nine carries for 46 yards (5.1 YPC).
4. Vance Joseph’s defense is elite: The Broncos have allowed an average of 13.8 points per game through the first four weeks of the season with 16 sacks, a pair of fourth-down stops, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. One could make an argument that Denver has the best defense in the NFL after the team shut down Aaron Rodgers in Week 4.
5. Bo Nix made plays when it counted: Nix struggled early and went into halftime with negative seven passing yards. The rookie quarterback overthrew several deep passes and struggled with accuracy throughout the first half. Nix was clutch when it counted, though, leading an 11-play, 87-yard drive in the third quarter that ended with his first career touchdown pass to give the Broncos a lead on the road. Nix ended the game with just 60 passing yards, but he did not have any turnovers and did not take any sacks for the second straight week. After a rough start, Nix made plays when the team needed it most, and he took care of the football in a close game. Nix and the offense are trending in the right direction, but progress has been gradual.
Up next for the Broncos is a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5.
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