Case Keenum and the Denver Broncos headed into New York to face the Jets with the goal of proving that they are a contender in the AFC. Instead, the Jets destroyed the Broncos by a final score of 34-16. Right from the jump, the Jets were able to get to Keenum and they were able to make things difficult for the Denver offense all game long.
Leonard Williams was one of the key stars for the Jets' defense this week. That has become the norm for New York, but he was an absolute monster and a major pain for Keenum.
Throughout the course of the game, Williams brought Keenum down for two sacks and racked up six tackles. New York sacked Keenum four teams in the game and limited the Broncos' big-play potential.
Williams talked about the Jets' dominant defensive performance in an interview with the New York Daily News.
“That’s what I loved to see. There were a few times when we hit him … even if it wasn’t a sack. We were getting to him a lot. He seemed really uncomfortable. There were times when we wouldn’t even get to him and he would just get scared and throw the ball away. There would be nobody over there. That’s the best thing you could do as a defense: Get in the head of the offense flustered like that.”
Keenum also talked about his performance, as shared by Pro Football Talk, and had a few reasons why the Broncos were unable to get things going against the Jets.
“There were a few new things, but it’s no excuse. I’ve got to do better identifying that stuff and getting the ball out on time. There’s a few plays that I know specifically, even from the pictures I could see I had guys running open and I didn’t pull the trigger. I take those sacks. They’re on me. I pride myself on getting the ball out on time and there’s definitely some instances where I didn’t.”
Looking at the numbers from the outside, Keenum did not play horribly. He completed 35 of his 51 pass attempts for 377 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Despite the big numbers, Keenum did look uncomfortable throughout the game. It wasn't enough to shut him down, but it was enough to disrupt the Broncos' offensive momentum.
Williams and the Jets' defense have a very bright future ahead of them and this game showed some of that potential.