Crazy as this seems, Peyton Manning doesn’t appear to be a big fan of oncoming pass rushers. In fact, Manning, who’s always in the conversation when the topic is "Greatest QBs of all-time," would --hear me out here -- probably prefer not to be constantly harassed by 300-plus pound defensive linemen whose primary goal is separating his head from the rest of his body.
Through the first four games of their season, the Broncos offensive line has done an admirable job of granting their signal-caller’s wishes, allowing just four sacks in Manning’s 160-odd dropbacks. It’s an especially impressive feat considering Denver’s running game isn’t exactly fearsome (except, on occasion, to its own team’s fans).
Of course, San Diego came into last week with a running game that was basically stuck in mud, yet ran through the Jets D as if Rex Ryan had signed a non-aggression pact with Chargers coach Mike McCoy. Judging by the fact that the Jets weren’t able to get past their own side of the field until seven minutes were left in the game, McCoy must not have held up his end of the deal.
Will Denver test the Jets with the run like the Chargers did so successfully? Given Manning’s prowess -- and that of a receiving corps that’s becomes one of the NFL’s best -- why bother?
The Broncos are going to pass early and often on Sunday afternoon at Metlife Stadium, and the Jets, who currently lead the NFL with 17 sacks through five games, are going to have to make things uncomfortable for Manning on every throw if they’re going to have a chance in a must-win game (although, at 1-4, aren’t they all?).
No one expects Geno Smith to carry the home team to a W. In fact, there may be only two people in the world who still think Smith should be the Jets starting QB after he was benched for the second half last Sunday. One of the two is, I sincerely hope, Smith. He should benefit greatly from being back in his own time zone, not to mention the fact that there aren’t many good movies out right now. The other is either Ryan or GM John Idzik. Given that the two are inherently incapable of agreeing on anything, we know it can’t be both of them.
But for the Jets to stay competitive in what should be a very difficult contest, they’ll need Smith to do something he hasn’t done all year: avoid costly turnovers. The defensive players, meanwhile, will need to not only get their share of sacks, but also to make them count for something other than a nice number on the stat sheet.
