Jets report card: Robert Saleh kept this from falling apart

Grading the Jets’ 16-9 road win over the Broncos on Sunday.

Offense

The offense did not do much in this game but I am marking them up for not turning the ball over and coming up with the explosive play that they needed. Rookie RB Breece Hall (four carries, 72 yards, 1 TD) had a 62-yard touchdown before leaving with a knee injury, which is believed to be a torn ACL. Other than that, the offense did not do much. QB Zach Wilson (16 of 26, 121 yards, 72.8 QB rating, 4 rushes, 24 yards) was underwhelming again but managed not to turn the ball over despite several close calls. The offensive line struggled against a tough Broncos front.

Grade C

Defense

We’re grading them on a slight curve since the Broncos were playing with backup QB Brett Rypien (24 of 46, 225 yards, 1 INT, 56.9 QB rating). The coverage was strong but the Jets did not get to Rypien as much as you would expect. The Broncos ran for 105 yards but did not have a run longer than 15 yards. CB Sauce Gardner (10 tackles, 3 passes defensed) was terrific again and made a huge pass breakup on fourth down in the fourth quarter. CB D.J. Reed (8 tackles, 3 passes defensed) was also strong.

Grade: B+

Special Teams

Punter Braden Mann was busy and he had several good punts. He punted eight times and averaged 54.8 yards per punt and pinned two inside the 20. Kicker Greg Zuerlein made all three of his field-goal attempts in this game where points were at a premium. Justin Hardee and Brandin Echols continue to excel in kick coverage.

Grade: A

Coaching

You have to give the Jets’ coaching staff credit for the way this team handled adversity this past week. Between the Elijah Moore drama and the in-game injuries suffered, things could have fallen apart. But there were things that were not pretty Sunday. The Jets committed 11 penalties and the offense never found a rhythm. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was not able to find many answers against a stingy Broncos defense.

Grade: B-