National Football League

Broncos Win 'Battle of the Beatens'

Updated Oct. 2, 2020 12:12 p.m. ET

Somebody's '0' had to go.

Both the Denver Broncos and New York Jets entered Thursday's matchup at 0-3, but it was Denver that was able to break its early-season winless streak, sending the Jets to 0-4 on the season.

Here are the key takeaways from Thursday Night Football:

1. What's to make of Sam Darnold?

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, per usual, had an uneven performance.

He didn't turn the ball over once – he entered the night with three touchdowns and four interceptions on the season – but he also didn't throw a TD pass.

Darnold only completed 23-of-42 pass attempts and posted a 70.5 quarterback rating, but he rushed the ball six times for 84 yards, including an impressive touchdown scamper.

Arguably the Jets' biggest issue was on grand display, and that is the offensive line's ability – or inability – to protect New York's franchise QB.

Darnold was sacked six times and lost 54 yards, and was nearly knocked out of the game as a result of one of those sacks.

Through four weeks, Darnold has now been sacked 12 times, third-most in the NFL behind Cincinnati's Joe Burrow and Houston's Deshaun Watson.

The Bengals, Texans and Jets are each winless on the season.

2. MG3 breaks through

Melvin Gordon III wanted to get paid this past offseason, and the Broncos signed the two-time Pro Bowler to a 2-year, $16 million deal, with $13.5 million guaranteed.

Gordon didn't exactly break the bank compared to a few other high-paid running backs – Carolina's Christian McCaffrey comes to mind – but he at least got some of the security he desired.

Through the first three weeks of the season, the Broncos investment hadn't exactly paid off, with Gordon racking up just 174 rushing yards and 1 TD.

But that all changed on Thursday night.

Gordon rushed for 107 yards on 23 carries, and added 2 TDs to his total.

Thursday represents Gordon's first 100-yard rushing game since Nov. 7 of last year, when he also ripped off 108 yards, that day against the Raiders.

3. The Brett Rypien Era

"Era" might be strong – but as of Thursday, "era" is safe.

Brett Rypien went undrafted in 2019 out of Boise State, but landed with the Broncos franchise last season. Then, just two days ago, he was named the starter for Thursday's game, with starting QB Drew Lock out injured and backup QB Jeff Driskel registering lackluster performances in consecuvitve weeks.

And in his first NFL start, Rypien did what Driskel and Lock could not – deliver the Broncos their first win of the 2020 season.

Rypien didn't have an incredible performance – he finished the night 19-for-31 for 242 yards, 2 TDs and 3 INTs – but most importantly for Denver, their QB was not sacked a single time.

Enter the NFL Challenge contest on the FOX Super 6 app for free and you can win the $100,000 jackpot! Download now at foxsuper6.com!