Preview, prediction, what to watch for in Week 6

An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Broncos NFL Week 6 matchup in London:  

Marquee matchup

Jets WR Garrett Wilson vs. Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II

There is no secret who the Jets offense runs through. Wilson has been targeted 48 times this season — 20 more than Mason Taylor, who is next on the list.

If you’re looking for the next wide receiver, it is Josh Reynolds, who has nine targets.

Despite defenses being able to focus on Wilson, he is still producing.

He has 33 catches for 382 yards and four touchdowns this year. Now, he faces the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Surtain.

The Jets and Broncos have played each other in every year of Wilson’s career.

He has put up modest numbers in those games — four catches for 24 yards in 2022, three for 54 in 2023 and five for 41 last year.

“I think he’s a great, great player,” Wilson said this week. “Every time I get reps against him, for me, it’s like the game within the game. The No. 1 thing I respect about his game is his feet. He truly trusts his feet. I would say it’s just rare that you see that nowadays. The way people teach nowadays is how to get away with cheating, in a way. This dude’s playing defense. It’s really special to see.”

Four downs

Rush hour: The Jets offensive line is coming off its worst game of the season. They allowed five sacks against the Cowboys, and quarterback Justin Fields was under siege for most of the day.

Now, they face a Broncos defense that leads the NFL with 21 sacks.

Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto has seven sacks, which is tied with Giants OLB Brian Burns for the league lead. Bonitto is the leader, but Jonathan Cooper on the other side is tough, too.

“They have two edge guys that are pretty elite when it comes to that,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “They have interior guys I think that do a hell of a job. And when you have the corners and the man-to-man guys you have, it makes the quarterback hold the ball for quite a bit. So, I think they do a good job of coordinating how they want to play defense and they are very aggressive, very aggressive. They are sitting in five the majority or all the time. So, listen, our O-line has their work cut off for them and they know that.”

Getting sacks: The list of issues for the Jets defense is a long one right now. But many of the problems start with a lack of pressure on the quarterback.

The Jets have seven sacks this season, and four of those came in Week 1 against the Steelers. They had one sack last week against the Cowboys, which came when Dak Prescott slid and gave himself up.

In order to create turnovers and get off the field quicker, the Jets are going to have to pressure Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.

“It’s got to start with our mentality,” defensive line coach Eric Washington said. “We have to be fast, violent and coordinated. It’s just really those three things.”

Get back: The Jets return to London a year after losing to the Vikings here.

That was a memorable game in franchise history because Woody Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh two days later. Johnson made the move hoping it would spark the team.

Instead, the team has floundered. They are 3-14 since the Saleh firing, which was one year ago last Wednesday.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN put this stat out this week: Across their final 17 games with Saleh, the Jets had the best defense by points per drive and EPA per play. In their past 17 games since they fired him, they have the league’s worst defense by those same metrics.

False start: The Jets offense has moved the ball early, but it has failed to reach the end zone. They do not have a touchdown in the first half in their past four games. They have driven down the field to start the past two games only to come away with a fumble and a field goal.

“The goal, obviously, is to get seven every single time,” offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand said. “And you’re right, we are, we’re getting it down there and it’s just a little bit of, continue to be on our details and focus to be able to finish those drives. There’s been one little thing that has put a stop to some of those drives.”

Costello’s call

By all logical reasons, the Jets have no chance to win this game. But the NFL is not a logical place. I think this is a trap game for the Broncos after beating the Eagles last week. The Jets play their best game of the season and pull off a stunner in London.

Jets 24, Broncos 15