PLAYER NOTES
–WR Charone Peake (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday.
–TE Neal Sterling (concussion) did not practice Wednesday.
–C Spencer Long (knee, finger) was limited at Wednesday’s practice.
–FS Marcus Maye (ankle, foot) was limited at Wednesday’s practice.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: DE Henry Anderson. The Jets traded a seventh-round pick for the 27-year-old during the draft and it’s already paid dividends, as Anderson leads the Jets with a career-high 2.5 sacks. Rookie third-round pick Nathan Shepherd has made three of the four starts opposite Leonard Williams, but the 6-foot-6, 301-pounder out of Stanford has made more impact plays, including three pass deflections against the Jaguars. Anderson was a third-round pick of the Colts in 2015 but could be had for a seventh-rounder in the offseason due to his propensity for injuries. He’s torn his ACL twice and last year needed surgery for a fractured larynx that ended his season after nine games. In 33 career games (19 starts), he has 73 tackles, including 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Said head coach Todd Bowles of Anderson on Wednesday: “Well, we knew he’s a ‘Steady Eddie’ guy, he plays multiple positions and he can help us. His technique is outstanding, he’s tough, he’s very intelligent, always in the right place. He’s made some plays for us.”
GAME PLAN: The Jets have allowed a 20-plus-yard rush to the opposing quarterback the last three games, and all three have come in the first quarter. Shockingly, only Blake Bortles’ 23-yard run on Sunday led to points (a field goal), but it’s a trend the Jets can’t continue. Case Keenum isn’t extremely mobile, but he did have a rushing touchdown in Denver’s Week 2 win over the Raiders. Furthermore, this trend speaks to the Jets’ tendency to over-pursue the run, which they might try to do against Broncos speedster Phillip Lindsay, who is averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Royce Freeman (5.0 yards per carry) is no picnic, either.
Offensively, we’re not coming up with the theory of relativity here or anything, but the Jets have to run the ball effectively. They held the ball only 22:25 Sunday in Jacksonville, allowing the Jaguars to run 23 more plays than them. Jeremy Bates tends to get pass-happy on short-yardage downs, but he needs to take the pressure off Sam Darnold by grinding out first downs. It’s not the easiest task with a relatively weak offensive line, but it’s crucial to keeping the defense off the field for extended stretches.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Jets LT Kelvin Beachum/RT Brandon Shell vs. Broncos WLB Von Miller. The six-time All-Pro is versatile, but he more often than not lines up as an edge rusher on the weak side, with Denver hoping to get him in a one-on-one matchup with a slower offensive tackle. The 29-year-old is the best in the business at getting to the quarterback, as his 87.5 career sacks are the most in the league since he was drafted second overall out of Texas A&M in 2011. He already has four in four games this season, while the Jets have allowed 10.
–Jets secondary vs. Broncos QB Case Keenum. There are only three quarterbacks in the league who have thrown more than Sam Darnold’s five picks, and Keenum is one of them (six). Though the Jets have six, five of them came in their season-opening win over Detroit. And they had at least been keeping receivers from getting deep before Trumaine Johnson got burned by Donte Moncrief for a 67-yard touchdown on Sunday.