EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J – For the first time in nearly three years, Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad got his chance.
Strnad, in his fifth season, had last started a game in the NFL on Oct. 21, 2021, at Cleveland and had last played a regular season snap on defense Dec. 12, 2021, against Detroit. But in Sunday’s 10-9 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, Strnad got the start after Alex Singleton had been lost for the season the previous week at Tampa Bay due to a torn right ACL.
Strnad didn’t waste any time making an impact. On the first play, he broke through on a blitz to sack Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“I remember just coming through the gap and Aaron didn’t see me coming and I thought to myself, ‘I’m about to sack Aaron Rodgers,’’’ Strnad said.
Sunday’s game capped off what had been a difficult week for Strnad and family members, who live in Dunedin, Fla., in the Tampa Bay area. The area was hit hard by Hurricane Helene.
“My house took some damage,’’ Strnad said. “I have a couple of properties that took some damage but compared to some of my friends and family, it’s not even close to what they’re going through. But I can’t thank my family enough. My family was over at my house the day after (the hurricane) doing everything, cleaning, taking everything out of the garage. Their support and everything they’ve done for me, I can’t thank them enough.”
Strnad's sack was the first of five the Broncos had of Rodgers. And it came from an unlikely source.
In the previous two years and the first three games this season, Strnad didn’t play a single snap from scrimmage. However, he has been a valuable player on special teams.
“You kind of start to think maybe you’re not going to get the chance. … But it’s not that I didn’t prepare,’’ he said. “But it’s like it’s that mindset you might not be called upon.”
Franklin-Myers gets sack against former team
Of Denver’s five sacks, one was by defensive John Franklin-Myers against his former team.
Franklin-Myers spent the previous five seasons with the Jets before being traded to Denver last April. He was thrilled to get a win in his first game against them.
“Super happy,’’ he said. “But old team, new team. It is what is. It’s a win and in this league, you got to appreciate them. I appreciate the opportunity to go out there.’’
While Broncos quarterback Bo Nix wasn’t sacked once, Franklin-Myers sure appreciated his teammates helping harass Rodgers.
“Going into the game, they gave up one of the least amount of sacks in the NFL,’’ Franklin-Myers said of the Jets, who had allowed Rodgers to be sacked just five times in the first three games. “But we got the best of them (Sunday).’’
The Broncos had seven sacks in the 26-7 win over the Buccaneers, giving them 12 in their past two games. They have 16 on the season.
Bring on the rain
It rained throughout the first half Sunday before it subsided in the second half. Overall, the weather was a surprise to the Broncos.
“My weather app lied to me,’’ said safety P.J. Locke. “Like, ‘Why do you keep lying to me.’ I didn’t see any rain in the forecast.”
The rain didn’t bother tackle Alex Palczewski, who grew up outside of Chicago and played in college at Illinois.
“It’s football weather,’’ he said. “I love that. That’s right up my alley from Illinois. Big Ten weather. That’s what you want.”
Still, the rain played a role in the Broncos struggling on offense. They had just 46 yards of total offense in the first half before finishing with 186.
“We had to put it on our backs and keep on going,’’ Palczewski said of the offensive line working to help the Broncos come back from a 6-0 halftime deficit. “We had to do our jobs and keep on churning.”
Controversial non-fumble
With the Jets trailing 10-9, it looked as if Rodgers might have lost a fumble when he was sacked by Malcolm Roach and Jonah Elliss for a 6-yard loss on third-and-2 at the Denver 43 with the clock ticking under five minutes left in the game. But the Broncos were out of challenges and couldn’t dispute the call.
“I felt like we had a couple of tough calls,’’ said Broncos coach Sean Payton. “You can challenge and (Sunday) I was 0 of 2. …. We had a chance at a fumble late in the game with Rodgers.”
Payton had lost challenges when he believed Courtland Sutton had caught in the second quarter what was ruled to be a ball that hit the ground and when he thought Garrett Wilson was out of bounds on a 23-yard catch in the third quarter.
The Broncos had five penalties for 74 yards, but the Jets were called for 13 or 90 yards.
Briefly
Broncos receiver Devaughn Vele, who hasn’t played since suffering a broken rib in the Sept. 8 opener at Seattle, was inactive for the third straight game and replaced by fellow rookie Troy Franklin. Franklin had two catches for minus-2 yards. … Also inactive were safety JL Skinner, who missed his second straight game with an ankle injury, running back Blake Watson, defensive lineman Eyimoa Uwazurike, cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, tight end Lucas Krull and quarterback Zach Wilson, who had played the previous three seasons with the Jets. … The teams combined for 15 punts, with Denver’s Riley Dixon having eight. He placed three inside the 20, including having his third one this season downed at the 1…. Denver didn’t get its initial first down until there were about 10 minutes left in the second quarter.
Local News
