After six Jets personal fouls, including one at the end of the game, Broncos head coach Vic Fangio had no interest in exchanging pleasantries with New York postgame.
Following a 37-28 win over the Jets on Thursday Night Football, Fangio instructed his team to go straight to the locker room, attempting to avoid a melee. Veteran DL Steve McLendon hitting Broncos QB Brett Rypien late and with the crown of his helmet was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Denver.
“Our sideline was getting pissed off about it and I just wanted to avoid any confrontation at the end of the game and having it get ugly there,” Fangio told reporters postgame. “So I tried to get our guys to leave quickly to avoid anything happening there. I thought it was the prudent thing to do.”
#Broncos HC Vic Fangio directed his players to go straight to the locker room after beating the #Jets. He said after the game his guys were upset by all the late hits. The #Jets had SIX personal foul penalties on the night.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) October 2, 2020
Gang Green leads the league in personal fouls, even before it recorded six on Thursday night. The Jets recorded 11 penalties for 118 yards against Denver. In the first half of Thursday’s game, the Jets had eight penalties for 83 yards, which was the most of any team in the first half this season. New York has now allowed a total of 16 first downs due to penalties this season, which points to the bigger picture of an undisciplined team.
“We had multiple chances to get off the field, but we hurt ourselves. The penalties were just, they were brutal,” Gase said, per the New York Post. “We made them punt one time… When we did hit them, we hit ’em too late. We were getting personal fouls. It was ridiculous.”
The Jets’ penalties were unnecessary and careless; they led to 13 points and seven first downs for Denver on Thursday. Multiple players will likely be fined, while the rest of the league will be put on notice to New York’s antics.