The Broncos’ Week 7 home game against the Jets is probably going to be harder than it should be.

In last year’s game, the Broncos were able to pick up a 26-0 win vs the New York Jets, The Denver defense really showed out in the game, holding the Jets' offense to a total of 203 yards, Zach Wilson threw two interceptions in the game and their starting running back Michael Carter was their leading rusher with only 24 yards. The Broncos' offense was not pretty during the game either, but it did just enough to win the game. The rushing duo of Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams combined for 89 yards and two touchdowns, and leading receiver Tim Patrick had five catches for 98 yards.

This year is a different story. The Broncos enter this game 2-4 and as losers of their last three while the 4-2 Jets have won their last three.

Offseason moves the Jets made

Key gains: OG Laken Tomlinson, TE CJ Uzomah, CB DJ Reed, TE Tyler Conklin, S Jordan Whitehead, K Greg Zuerlein

Key losses: S Marcus Maye, WR Jamison Crowder, OT Morgan Moses, LB Blake Cashman, DT Folorunso Fatukasi

2022 NFL Draft: Round one: (4) CB Ahmed “Sauce” Gardner, (10) WR Garrett Wilson, (26) DE Jermaine Johnson; Round two: (36) RB Breece Hall; Round three: (101) TE Jeremy Ruckert, (111) OL Max Mitchell, (117) DE Michael Clemons.

The Jets’ 2022 season so far

Jets starting quarterback Zach Wilson missed the first three games and the Jets were cold to begin the year, starting 1-2 under former Bronco Joe Flacco. But since Zach Wilson has returned, the Jets have not looked back at all, with wins over the Steelers, Dolphins, and Packers. In all those wins the Jets have looked like they’re the real deal and can compete for second in the AFC East behind the Bills. The win over a defensive team like the Steelers and a supposed powerhouse offense like the Green Bay Packers were two big wins for this team.

Rookie Breece Hall has come in and completely stolen Michael Carter’s starting running back job. Hall has 391 yards and three touchdowns on the ground but he is also a threat in the air. Hall is the third receiving threat on the Jets with 19 catches for 218 yards and one touchdown in the air. Corey Davis has emerged as a threat early on, with 19 catches for 351 yards and two touchdowns. But rookie wideout Garrett Wilson is right on his tail with 24 catches for 290 yards and also two touchdowns. Jets’ offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker has been getting praise this season from one of the top offensive linemen of all time, Anthony Muñoz.

On the other side of the ball, Sauce Gardner has been playing like a top-10 cornerback in the league. He is currently first in the league in pass breakups with nine already on the year. After a poor game against Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, Gardner has allowed just 28 yards on 15 targets and four catches. Quinnen Williams is another name to look out for on the defense. He already has five sacks on the year (11th in the league) and is sixth in QB pressures and sixth in tackles for loss.

Overall, the New York Jets have been one of the most surprising teams this year with several key wins and an impressive 4-2 start. They are coming in red hot against the stone cold Broncos.

Tanner’s three keys

1. Limit penalties.

We have been over this many times already this year. The Broncos are the most penalized team in the NFL. They have given up 18 free first downs and a mind-blowing 486 yards on 54 flags. Broncos also face the most 3rd-and-longs in the NFL because of penalties. Teams lose by giving up 100+ free yards, and if the Broncos want to win they will have to stay disciplined.

2. Offense needs to do at least something.

The defense keeps the Broncos close in games, allowing only seven touchdowns in six weeks of games. Ironically, that is the same number of touchdowns the Broncos’ offense has been able to muster so far too.

Combining all the Broncos' losses, only 16 points separated Denver from wins. The defense has been good all season and is doing its job, but the offense is failing big time. The Broncos have the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL with an average of 15.2 points per game. Brandon McManus is the leading scorer by an extremely wide margin with 47 points. At this point, I am just begging the offense to do something. Please.

3. Health

The Broncos need to stay healthy this year, they have almost as many ACL tears as touchdowns with five. Russell Wilson is currently questionable for the game, along with Josey Jewell, Dre’mont Jones, and Caden Sterns. The Broncos currently have 12 players on IR after Aaron Patrick’s torn ACL. It is getting really bad at this point and something needs to be done about player health.

Tanner’s prediction

It is going to be yet another long and drawn-out game, Broncos fans will get their hopes up with a solid first half just for them to be crushed as no adjustments are made at halftime yet again and as the offensive line just continues to struggle with either Wilson or Brett Rypien at quarterback Sunday.

The Broncos' defense will be the reason the game is close but as per usual, now the offense will fold under the pressure and will just choke away the game. I don’t think the Broncos could even get more than 50 yards in the second half. This offense is horrible, and something has to happen. I don’t know what can be done this quickly but something needs to change. Both teams are on streaks right now, but the Broncos are trending down while the Jets are trending up.

Broncos 12, Jets 17.