He might not be the best, or most productive head coach in the NFL, but I have a lot of respect for Rex Ryan. He coached the New York Jets hard today, as they fell to the Denver Broncos 31-17. Ryan is one of the best defensive minds in the league and he showcased that today. Those in Broncos Country who scoffed at the idea of a competitive Jets team, found themselves glued to the television screen, as the Broncos fought tooth and nail to grind out a win. For the Broncos, today's win was a mixed bag. There was a lot to like, and a lot to dislike. Let's get to my 5 takeaways. Without Their Leader, The Defense Shined Last week, weakside linebacker and defensive leader, Danny Trevathan, returned to the team and led them in tackles. The Broncos held the Arizona Cardinals that day to only 215 net offensive yards. Trevathan was poised to lead the Broncos to another consecutive, dominant performance, but was injured early in the game. He was carted off the field with a knee injury. It looked as if he could have aggravated the kneecap injury he sustained in the preseason. However, the initial prognosis looks good. UPDATE: Broncos LB @Grindin_59 to have MRI on left knee on Monday. Initial X-rays were negative. http://t.co/X56WTviLdI by @MikeKlis

— %%MATCH_15%% Post Broncos (@PostBroncos) October 12, 2014

In his place, Brandon Marshall was plugged in. Again. And he continued his impressive 2014 campaign, leading the team with 7 total tackles. The Broncos linebacking corps was instrumental in stopping the run and limiting the Jets through the air. On the day, the Broncos defense held the Jets to only 31 yards rushing, with quarterback, Geno Smith, leading the way with 11 of them. For a Jets team in the NFL's top 10 in rushing, it was an impressive feat by the Broncos defense. Aqib Talib finally got his first interception of the season, and he did it with gusto, returning it for a touchdown to close out the game. He has fit in nicely with this secondary and adds a fierce tenacity that is infectious. On the day, Von Miller and company held the Jets to only 204 net offensive yards. And along the way, sacked Smith 4 times. 2 of those went to Miller, who actually left the game for a time with concussion symptoms, but later returned. Overall, it was a dominant performance for a defense who was playing second fiddle in the media to the New York Jets. A Fine Day For The Rookies The mark of an excellent front office is not only finding key contributors throughout the draft, both early and late, but also finding rookies who can contribute immediately, even on a deep, Super Bowl-caliber roster. That's exactly what John Elway has done. Today showcased a few of the Broncos rookies, on both sides of the ball. One of them was rookie 7th rounder, Corey Nelson, who saw a lot of time with the first team defense. Clearly, the Broncos defensive coaching staff wants fast tackle machines at the linebacker position, which Nelson certainly is. He tied with Marshall for the team lead in tackles, a sign that the Broncos may have found yet another late-round gem in the draft. 1st round pick, Bradley Roby, shined today, breaking up several key Smith passes and even notching his first career sack. His ability to close on the ball is remarkable. And as he develops, he'll be able to utilize that talent to bait quarterbacks and pick off some passes. On offense, undrafted rookie free agent, Juwan Thompson, also impacted the Broncos road win. Backing up Ronnie Hillman, he carried the ball 8 times for 38 yards and provided a punishing change of pace to the Broncos backfield. Expect the Broncos to find ways to get him the ball more often. The only active rookie who failed to impact in a positive way, was linebacker, Lamin Barrow. Barrow was ejected from the game for throwing a punch. A mental lapse. The Running Game Came Alive, Finally It's been a dreadful season for the Broncos, running the ball. That is, until Hillman was plugged in, following a groin injury to Montee Ball. Last week, he sparked the offense with 64 yards rushing, all in the second half. This earned him his first career start this week. And with it, he absolutely shined. On 24 carries, Hillman rushed for an even 100 yards, also marking a career first. On the day, the Broncos rushed for 138 yards. And although it pains some in Broncos Country to even think it, there is no coincidence to Ball going down and the Broncos finally being able to run the ball. Hillman is decisive and hits the hole with burst, getting to the second level quickly, whereas Ball has struggled to do so. The Broncos drafted Ball in the 2nd round last year to be their bell-cow of the future. Unfortunately, even with the departure of Knowshon Moreno, Ball has been unable to take the bull by the horns. Last week, Hillman knocked on the door. This week, he absolutely kicked it down. Provided Hillman can continue his stellar play and hold unto the ball, the Broncos will be faced with a tough decision when Ball returns from injury a month from now. Offensive Line Still Out Of Sync Despite the fact that the Broncos finally found the running game, the offensive line, as a unit, really held the team back from breaking this game open. Between penalties and poor pass blocking, this unit was the worst on the field today. Manny Ramirez, in particular, just looked terrible. Just like the first snap of Super Bowl XLVIII, he snapped a ball before Peyton Manning was ready, and if it weren't for a heads up play by Wes Welker, would have turned the ball over. Manning was under relentless pressure all game long. He was hit 3 times and was sacked twice. This was all at the expense of an offensive line that is still out of sync. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what's going wrong, but one thing is for certain. This unit is playing undisciplined football and it's costing the team. If it doesn't change soon, the coaches could look at making some changes. Where's the Slot Machine? The Broncos obviously felt that running 12 personnel (2 TE, 2 WR, 1 RB) would give them a competitive advantage over a stingy Jets defense. And I understand that. But it left one of the team's best playmakers, namely, Wes Welker, on the outside looking in. He didn't see many snaps today. But when he did, he made plays. One, as mentioned above, was a heads up fumble recovery of a botched snap, keeping the Broncos in possession of the ball. The other was a 3rd down conversion, late in the 4th quarter, that allowed the Broncos to milk even more time off the clock, as they protected a 1-score lead. Welker has been conspicuously absent from the field, ever since he returned to the team from his 2-game suspension. It could be that the Broncos are simply wanting to limit his exposure to big hits, following his 3rd concussion in less than a year. Whatever the reasoning is, I can't help but feel that it's a mistake. Welker was an integral component to the Broncos record-setting 2013 campaign. And keeping him off the field is limiting this offense. His absence is likely one of the reasons the Broncos offense has yet to hit their stride, as scary as that might sound to NFL defensive coordinators. Chad Jensen is the Publisher and Lead Analyst for MileHighHuddle. You can find him on Twitter @CJ_Broncos and on Google+. Follow MileHighHuddle on Twitter @MileHighHuddle and become a subscriber to receive access to premium content and discounted Broncos tickets.

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