Five takeaways from the Broncos' 16-9 loss to the Jets

DENVER, Colo. — More of the same.

The Broncos lost 16-9 to the New York Jets on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High. The loss was the fourth consecutive for Denver and drops its record to 2-5. The Jets improved to 5-2.

Here’s what you need to know…

Rypien plays his role

Russell Wilson missed the game with a hamstring injury, leaving Brett Rypien to start at quarterback for the Broncos.

Wilson’s poor play to start the year left fans wondering whether Rypien would show him up. He didn’t. He played about how you’d expect. He completed a little over half of his passes. He put up 225 yards and he turned the ball over once. Typical backup quarterback play.

Rypien threw a couple of well-placed balls that he wasn’t rewarded for. Most of those, including a deep ball to Jerry Jeudy that he dropped in the bucket, came downfield along the sidelines. He also threw an ugly interception up the sideline when a safety rotated over the top.

Was it a good night for Rypien? No. But it was basically what you should expect from him.

Wilson’s status is up in the air for next week, which means Rypien could be back on the field in London.

The Broncos can’t run

Part of the reason Rypien didn’t stand out was a lack of support from the running game. The Broncos averaged 3.8 yards per carry. The lack of success led Rypien to throw 46 passes.

Melvin Gordon put up 33 yards on 11 carries.

Latavius Murray put up 24 yards on eight carries. He also had the Broncos’ lone touchdown. Those numbers aren’t going to cut it.

The Jets’ run defense has been one of the best in the NFL to this point, but the Broncos never came close to cracking it. The JEts ability to break a couple of big runs was part of the difference in the game.

Denver’s defense stands strong

The Broncos only came away with three sacks (two of which came back-to-back from Dre’Mont Jones) but Zach Wilson was under duress all afternoon.

Wilson was able to dodge tackler after tackler but he never converted those plays into completions. He did just enough to survive.

Outside of the acrobatics, Wilson struggled. He completed 16 of his 26 passes for 121 yards. He also had 24 rushing yards.

In the running game, the Broncos’ defense was strong outside of a couple of lapses. Wilson broke off a long run. Braxton Berrios took a jet sweep 25 yards. Breece Hall ran 62 yards for a long touchdown.

Still, the defense did about all that was asked of it.

Greg and Jerry step up

Jerry Jeudy was the Broncos’ leading receiver, with seven catches for 96 yards. He also had a couple of opportunities that he didn’t take advantage of.

Greg Dulcich was number two on the receiving list with six catches for 51 yards. The Broncos didn’t get him going downfield much but he was a frequent checkdown option and he converted a couple of third downs. The rookie was rock solid in his second career game.

The Broncos dodge injuries

Jets rookie running back Breece Hall left the game on a cart with a knee injury after his start. The Broncos didn’t have any injuries nearly that serious.

Baron Browning has a hip injury that doesn’t seem too serious.

Mike Boone broke off a 15-yard run early in the game but left with an ankle injury.

Cam Fleming left the game with a quad injury.