New York Jets: Three stars from Sunday’s loss at Denver

The New York Jets endured their third shutout defeat over the last three years, failing to tally any points in Sunday’s visit to Denver.

New quarterback, same painful result.

The New York Jets endured a shutout defeat for the third time over the last three seasons (and fourth over the last five) on Sunday afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High, as they were the victims of a 26-0 shellacking at the hands of the undefeated Denver Broncos.

Denver (3-0) took advantage of a Jets offensive in turmoil, outgaining Gang Green 344-162 and forcing Zach Wilson into two late interceptions and five sacks. The final margin was created through rushing scores by Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon as well as a trio of kicks from Brandon McManus.

The Jets (0-3) will look for some traction next weekend at home against the Tennessee Titans (1 p.m. ET, CBS). First, ESM finds three individual bright spots from their disaster in Denver…

Honorable Mentions

• LB Del’Shawn Phillips: 1 fumble recovery, 1 tipped punt
• WR Corey Davis: 5 receptions, 41 yards

3rd Star: LB Quincy Williams

6 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FF

The poor early returns in the Saleh/Wilson era have caused some to question general manager Joe Douglas’ blueprint. But the in-season/post-training camp gems he has found on the waiver wire (Ty Johnson, John Franklin-Myers, Braxton Berrios) can’t be denied.

Williams, a post-camp cut from Jacksonville, might be the latest addition to that list. Through two appearances in relief of Jarrad Davis and Blake Cashman, Williams has laid some memorable hits down during his brief New York tenure. On Sunday, he helped salvage at least a sliver of the afternoon with a forced fumble out of Javonte Williams’ hands that was taken back by Phillips for 34 yards.

https://twitter.com/TrainIsland/status/1442224880016142336

2nd Star: L.B. C.J. Mosley

10 tackles

Mosley is taking full advantage of his newfound health as he’s the Jets’ early leader in tackles. That trend continued when he led the team with 10 on Sunday in Denver.

One of the former Raven’s earliest hits went somewhat viral on a busy football Sunday. Mosley laid down a punishing hit on Gordon as the latter tried to score the first touchdown of the afternoon. His efforts, alas, only delayed the inevitable as Javonte Williams scored on the very next play. But Mosley’s brief moment of internet fame served as a solid reintroduction to the NFL and served as a strong example of perseverance, one the Jets desperately need.

1st Star: DL Quinnen Williams

4 tackles, 1.5 sacks

Our weekly tradition ends in brotherly bookends to salvage some sort of good feelings from Sunday.

After a relatively quiet first couple of weeks, Williams resembled his breakout form from last season, one that got involved in two Sunday sacks (sharing one with Bryce Hall). He wasn’t willing to talk about these positive developments but about the Jets’ modern fortunes. Williams, ready to embrace a larger leadership role, sees his performance as worthy of only a deeper personal reflection, one that he hopes leads to increased accountability.

“I look at the negative things I did wrong the game before and try to correct them the next week,” Williams said, per team reporter Randy Lange. “I feel like now the whole team has got to take that whole self-correct, constructive criticism, put it to their own life, and look at themselves in the mirror and say, ‘I need to correct this, I need to not have this happen again, I need to make sure I’m on top of this.'”

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags