A worrisome Week 4 performance noticeably damaged the New York Jets' standing amongst their NFL rivals.
After a 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos, the Jets fell five spots in The Sporting News NFL Power Rankings to No. 16 overall. This week, New York landed in between the No. 15 Dallas Cowboys (2-2) and the No. 17 Los Angeles Chargers (2-2).
The Jets, who were No. 11 overall the prior two weeks, are the second-highest AFC East team again. The reigning four-time division champion Buffalo Bills (3-1) sit at No. 5 overall. The back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs topped the entire 32-team list.
The Jets' inability to get Breece Hall rolling in the run game is one of multiple troubling takeaways from the Week 4 setback. Hall netted only four yards on 10 total rush attempts. He has rushed for 174 yards over the first four games.
"I feel like Breece has had a couple of good plays. I know yesterday wasn't clean. It wasn't his best game, but I don't think there's an issue with Breece with regards to explosiveness and all that," said head coach Robert Saleh at the start of a new week. "He still has plenty of juice. His GPS numbers are fine. Just chalk it up to a bad day, everyone has them and fully expect him to bounce back."
Meanwhile, 40-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked his age against the Broncos, skipping balls short of receivers and failing to throw a touchdown pass. He registered season lows in completion percentage (57.1) and quarterback rating (72.0).
The Jets' run defense was shaky in key spots. Despite Denver's ineffective passing game, New York allowed 4.1 yards per play on the ground.
New York displayed the signs of an undisciplined team in defeat. The Jets committed 15 penalties, 13 of which were accepted, in the 10-9 setback. The offense suffered from five pre-snap false starts.
From NFL Power Rankings Week 5:
16. New York Jets 2-2 (11)
What was that? The Jets lost their rushing mojo with Breece Hall, and it led to some key breakdowns and limitations against the game Broncos' defense. Robert Saleh should expect to win when the defense stymies a rookie QB like that. — Vinnie Iyer
The Jets will get a chance to prove themselves against the No. 2 Minnesota Vikings this Sunday in an NFL International Series game. The Vikings, who are one of only two undefeated teams remaining, feature former Jets' top draft pick Sam Darnold at starting quarterback. New York and Minnesota will kick off in London on October 6 at 9:30 am ET.
More New York Jets News:
• Raiders have what Aaron Rodgers and Jets desperately need
• 'Beat up' Aaron Rodgers not headed for New York Jets' injury report yet
• Jets' defense closer to receiving much-needed boost off Injured Reserve
• Robert Saleh backtracks on Jets' point of contention with Aaron Rodgers
• Jets' highly-touted rookie surprisingly buried with wildly low snap count
