The Titans-Steelers game is re-scheduled.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The NFL has juggled the schedule to allow the Steelers and Titans to play this season after their game scheduled for Sunday had to be postponed.

The league announced today that the Steelers-Titans game that was postponed because of the Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak will now be played in Week Seven on Sunday, October 25. Week Seven had previously been the Titans’ bye week.

The Steelers had been scheduled to play the Ravens in Week Seven but will now play the Ravens in Week Eight. In the original schedule, Week Eight was both the Steelers’ and Ravens’ bye week. The Ravens’ bye is now Week Seven, and this week will be considered the Steelers’ and Titans’ bye.

Both Steelers-Titans and Steelers-Ravens are scheduled to take kick off at 1 p.m. ET and be televised on CBS.

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY

An emerging receiver, WR ALLEN LAZARD, has an injury of indefinite length.  Bryan D’Ardo of CBSSports.com:

Allen Lazard, who caught six passes for 146 yards and a score in the Packers’ Week 3 win over the Saints, is out indefinitely after undergoing core muscle surgery this week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Green Bay, without Lazard, will look to keep its undefeated start intact Monday night against the winless Falcons.

A former undrafted rookie out of Iowa State, the 6-foot-5, 227-pound Lazard signed with the Packers in December of 2018 after spending most of his rookie season on the Jaguars’ practice squad. After catching just one pass that season, Lazard caught 35 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns last season. Lazard is currently the Packers’ leading receiver, with 254 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions. Lazard’s 19.5 yards per catch this season is over four yards over his career average.

With Lazard out, that will lead to more playing time for Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Darrius Shepherd and Malik Taylor. Valdes-Scantling has caught eight passes for 165 yards and a score through three games, while Shepherd and Taylor have yet to catch a pass.

The Packers did receive some positive news on Thursday when receiver Davante Adams, who missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury, was a limited participant during practice. Adams is hoping that his hamstring will allow him to face the Falcons on Monday night.

Regardless, it appears that the Packers’ offense may rely more on running back Aaron Jones, who has rushed for 303 yards and four touchdowns. He has also caught 10 passes for 95 yards and a score through three games. 

MINNESOTA

The Vikings, tainted by their proximity to the Titans last Sunday, were put on ice by the NFL earlier this week.  But NFL Medical Justice did allow them to practice Thursday and it appears their game is a go in Houston after no positive tests turned up on Friday.  Dave Campbell of the AP:

The Minnesota Vikings reopened their headquarters for team activities on Thursday, following another morning of zero positive COVID-19 test results four days after playing a Tennessee Titans team that experienced the NFL’s first outbreak.

The Vikings announced their resumption of practice shortly after the league postponed Tennessee’s home game on Sunday against Pittsburgh. The Titans, who were hoping to be allowed back in their building early next week, have had confirmed cases in five players and seven members of the organization over the past five days.

Minnesota plays at Houston on Sunday, a game between two of the NFL’s six 0-3 teams that remains on track for now. Vikings coaches took their strategizing for the Texans home on Tuesday, which is already a day off for the players unless they need injury treatment. Then instead of taking the field to install the game plan for the week on Wednesday, players discussed it virtually with the coaches via video conference.

“You just roll with it and react to what you’re being told to do and get the work done still and do the best you can,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “It’s similar to how we approached much of the offseason program and training camp. I think it’s been handled well, and we’ll keep at it.”

The biggest burden of the interruption falls on coach Mike Zimmer and his staff.

“Trying to get our work done, trying to get our computers moved, trying to get all our stuff and our preparation ready for the players, it’s been a challenge,” offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said on Thursday before the team took the field at TCO Performance Center. “I’ll say this: The players have been great, Zim has found a way for us to get that done, and we’re catching up today. It’s just part of the process. I think everybody knew we were going to face some things like this this year, so you keep a positive attitude and you keep pushing through.”

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA

Two teams that have had a problem keeping receivers healthy this year meet at San Francisco on Sunday.  But it is the Eagles who are in a worse plight at the moment.  Ryan Glasspiegel at Outkick.com:

Because the NFL is a national sport, you likely have some knowledge that the Eagles’ receiving corps has been depleted this season. However, it’s pretty wild that Doug Pederson had to run practice on Thursday with just ONE active roster wide receiver: Greg Ward.

As the AP Notes, the next six wide receivers on the Eagles depth chart are banged up. DeSean Jackson has a hamstring injury, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside has calf issues, and John Hightower is also out. Alshon Jeffery still hasn’t returned from a foot injury sustained in 2019. Jalen Reagor and Quez Watkins are on IR. So that meant that Greg Ward was flanked by practice squad receivers Deontay Burnett, Travis Fulgham and Marcus Green.

Carson Wentz obviously has not looked like a franchise quarterback this season, but the skill positions on the team have been astoundingly depleted.

– – –

TE ZACH ERTZ professes not to be thinking about his next contract per this tweet from Zach Berman of The Athletic:

@ZBerm

Ertz: “Once the games started, my sole focus has been on trying to find ways to win football games and get open on time for Carson and be a great teammate, and since the season started I think I’ve done that. …In regards to the contract, that’s not even in my thought process.”

AFC WEST

DENVER

What to make of QB BRETT RYPIEN in his first start?  Well, he threw three ill-advised INTs to get the Jets back in the game, but he did show a nice deep arm and some athleticism.  Mark Kiszla in the Denver Post:

Brett Rypien wore his Cinderella shoes to his first big NFL dance. He had a ball. And just before the clock struck midnight, this undrafted and unloved quarterback slipped out the Jersey swamplands with a victory the Broncos desperately needed.

It wasn’t always pretty. Rypien threw two touchdown passes in his first pro start, but also chucked three ugly interceptions. But in the end, Denver couldn’t have beaten the gosh-awful New York Jets 37-28 without him.

“Wow, this is what it’s like in the NFL every week,” Rypien said Thursday. “It’s a battle to get a win.”

I don’t know if John Elway has found his Elway. It remains to be seen if Drew Lock is a bona fide franchise quarterback.

But the Broncos have found Gary Kubiak 2.0.

“Winning cures more ills than penicillin,” beleaguered coach Vic Fangio said.

On this rainy night in Jersey, Rypien outplayed Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, a first-round pick in 2018.

The Broncos were going to struggle to find the end zone, much less win a game, with Jeff Driskel, who looked like an imposter as an NFL starting quarterback. Driskel can run, but simply cannot handle the speed of the game. Quarterback is a high-stress job. The bright lights make Driskel sweat.

Rypien, at the very least, acts the part. He doesn’t get rattled in the pocket and is never gun shy about pulling the trigger, even after throwing a pick-6. Those attributes are going to earn him paychecks in the NFL for a decade. While the football gods did not bless Rypien with the raw skill of Lock, the second-round draft pick would be well advised to pick the brain of his undrafted teammate in Denver’s quarterback room.

A fine balance between taking what New York’s defense gave him and the chutzpah to exploit the Jets’ weakest links allowed Rypien to pick on Jets cornerback Pierre Desir, who gets lost more in coverage than Bo Peep’s sheep. Denver picked on Desir for two long throws in the first half, including a 48-yard touchdown pass to rookie Jerry Jeudy that gave the Broncos a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.

“I took it away from him,” said Jeudy, who should have gotten credit for both the first TD catch of his pro career and an interception break-up.

It was a play fit for a King. LeBron James noticed what Jeudy did all the way from the NBA bubble down in Florida and tweeted: JEUDY!!!!!! Moss’d

Getting compared to Hall of Famer Randy Moss by King James? Not. Too. Shabby.

“LeBron James?” asked Jeudy, incredulous. “LeBron James shouted me out? That’s next level.”

KANSAS CITY

QB CAM NEWTON changed the game when he hit the NFL.  Now, he sees a similar impact from QB PATRICK MAHOMES.  Nick Shook of NFL.com:

Patrick Mahomes is the face of football’s new generation, and he’s received some high praise from the face of last decade’s new crop of signal-calling talent.

Mahomes’ Chiefs will face the New England Patriots on Sunday, which means the 2018 NFL MVP and reigning Super Bowl MVP will meet the 2015 NFL MVP, Cam Newton. The elder statesman of the two sees what the rest of the football world is witnessing.

“Man, he’s changing the game,” Newton said Thursday, via ESPN. “I think he’s shining light on the new wave of quarterbacks. It’s just fun to watch.”

Game recognizes game.

But Mahomes and Newton, while both are more than capable in the mobility department, are two different quarterbacks. For one, Newton is a larger quarterback, which has allowed him to set NFL records for most career rushing touchdowns scored by a quarterback (62) and games with one-plus passing touchdown and one-plus rushing touchdown (40).

In his first season in New England, Newton is near the same pace that saw him win the 2015 MVP, posting similar efficiency marks in passing yards per game, pass yards per attempt and passer rating.

“I wish I could do some of the things he does, as far as how physical he is, and the way he’s able to make plays happen. He’s a great football player, someone I watched when he was at Auburn,” Mahomes said of Newton, also via ESPN. “He’s in a great spot now and he’s playing really good football.”

Mahomes, meanwhile, owns the NFL records for career passing yards per game (303.2), passing touchdowns per game (2.5) and passer rating (109.4). He’s also the only quarterback to average 300-plus passing yards per game and a own a 100-plus passer rating versus Bill Belichick in his head coaching career.

Newton, who owned a 2-0 record against Belichick’s Patriots during his time with the Panthers, knows a little something about beating the game’s preeminent franchise since the turn of the century. He also knows how it feels to be the focus of the league as an innovative quarterback who is part of a highly successful team aiming to win a title.

“It’s not like he’s just back there and it’s an arcade game,” Newton said of Mahomes. “Sometimes it looks like it, but he knows exactly what he’s doing and how he’s manipulating the defense. That’s the same thing that the Dan Marinos used to do. Obviously the Tom Bradys. The Aaron Rodgers. Those guys really have so much command of the offense that you dictate to the defense. That’s what he’s doing. He’s playing the game at a high level.”

The difference between the two: Mahomes owns a Super Bowl ring, which Newton’s Panthers fell short of earning in Super Bowl 50, and something Newton’s predecessor was able to achieve a record six times in New England.

Mahomes’ Chiefs are again the favorites to win it all after an emphatic victory over the Ravens in Week 3. They’ll meet another longstanding hurdle Sunday, but with a new face behind center.

LAS VEGAS

In the wake of some Raiders players showing up in person at a charity event, there are those surprised the NFL hasn’t banned such behavior even if done in a masked manner.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

On Monday night, several Raiders attended an indoor event with too many people and not enough (no) masks. The NFL has not issued a blanket ban on similar activities by the Raiders and all other teams, yet.

A report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal claims that the league sent a memo on Thursday to all teams stating generally that “[n]o team or player gatherings or group football activities will be permitted away from the facility.” That’s not the case.

The quoted language comes not from a stand-alone memo specifically targeting the Monday event in Nevada but from the memo setting forth “supplemental intensive protocols” for teams that are experiencing an outbreak or that have had exposure to a club with an active outbreak. In other words, the language quoted by the Review-Journal applies only to, for now, the Titans and Vikings.

Rules already exist regarding things players can and can’t do while away from the facility. House gatherings of fewer than 15 are permitted, for example. Attending an event prohibited by state and/or local regulation (like the Monday night event attended by Raiders players) is prohibited.

Whether the NFL should issue a broad and general ban on off-duty activities and gatherings is a different issue, as is whether the NFL should require all players, coaches, and essential personnel to stay in a local hotel for the rest of the season. It’s one thing to take remedial measures after an outbreak happens. This week’s developments suggest that perhaps more should be done to prevent an outbreak, in the first place.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

Terez Paylor of YahooSports.com on the life and times of QB LAMAR JACKSON:

When Lamar Jackson was a kid growing up in South Florida, he dreamed of playing in the NFL and being on the cover of “Madden.” He has already done both of those things, and despite a recent setback on a prime-time stage, he still has his eyes firmly set this season on his most ambitious football goal of being the starting quarterback of a Super Bowl-winning team.

We’ll get to that in a bit.

Jackson has more dreams, ones that center on his desire to help people in need and impact lives beyond the field. It’s why, on the heels of being named the youngest NFL MVP in 2019, Jackson recently took another step toward establishing roots in his new city by partnering with Lowe’s and the Southwest Partnership to provide support to the soon-to-open United Way Family Center in Poppleton, a historic neighborhood in southwest Baltimore.

The endeavor is Jackson’s first hometown initiative for Baltimore. He will work on improvements to the center, which provides early childhood education, daycare and resources for parents to help them improve their parenting skills. 

“It’s just a dream of mine, ever since I was a little kid, to be able to give back to the communities,” Jackson told Yahoo Sports in a phone interview this week. “And for Baltimore to believe in me and have me as their starting quarterback, it was only right for me to go down into a neighborhood … and give back to the community.”

Jackson is one of 32 NFL players, one in each NFL city, participating in the Lowe’s “Home Team” initiative, which aims to assist with projects that help address safe and affordable housing repairs, small business support, veterans’ outreach or disaster recovery.

“Any opportunity that I have to give back to Baltimore,” Jackson said, “I’m proud of that.”

Jackson’s charitable desire has gone beyond community service projects, as he has also used his platform to speak on social issues of late.

Why Jackson spoke up on Breonna Taylor decision

In the aftermath of a Kentucky grand jury’s decision last week not to indict police officers directly in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, multiple athletes expressed disappointment and frustration. Jackson felt compelled to say something, too, noting that he doesn’t “feel like it’s been the ‘Land of the Free’ for” Black people sometimes.

“I felt like I’m still young, I’m only 23, I just won the MVP and stuff like that; people didn’t believe in me just two years ago so I didn’t really, like, see myself having a voice,” Jackson said. “I’m never really the person that comes out and just speaks on things, I let other people do their job and you know, I focus on the season.”

But Jackson, like most athletes his age, regularly checks his social media feeds. And the messages he received in the aftermath of the Taylor decision — many of which were from fellow African Americans, he noted — hit home.

“People were DM’ing me and were like, ‘Man, I feel you should say something,’ especially because I went to the University of Louisville and Breonna Taylor is from Louisville,” Jackson said. “So I was like ‘Man, I’ve got to say something because it’s just crazy in the world, and she’s not [being] treated fair, her family’s not being treated fair and these people [are] just going with their lives.”

Jackson said the reaction to his comments were largely positive.

“There were a lot of people that agreed with what I said,” said Jackson, who added that the ones who took issue with his statement are part of the problem. “I feel good [about it]. I feel good.”

Moving on from the MNF loss to Kansas City

On the field Monday night against Kansas City, Jackson did his usual thing on the ground, rushing nine times for a game-high 83 yards. But he completed only 15 of 28 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown against a fierce pass rush that sacked him four times.

The talking head shows have obsessed about Jackson’s 0-3 record vs. Kansas City and his similar poor passing performances in the Ravens’ past two playoff losses. Jackson, who boasts a marvelous 21-4 record as an NFL starter, hears the criticism.

“You know it’s going to be the bandwagoners,” Jackson said, “the ones who want to talk trash and then when you prove them wrong, they’re going to try to make it seem like they’re giving you your credit, but they’re really not — they’re waiting on your downfall.

“So, you know, it is what it is. The world’s gonna keeps spinning, and we’re gonna keep winning. We’re gonna be all right.”

The Ravens’ first step to getting back on the winning track could come as soon as Sunday, when Baltimore (2-1) heads to Washington (1-2) in a matchup of cross-conference regional rivals. Jackson has used this time for introspection and self-improvement, everything from his passing efficiency to his in-game demeanor, especially when things are going poorly mid-game.

“We’ve just got to focus on Washington, regroup and get back to the regular program and get back to what we know,” Jackson said. “Just do us and focus on us, not the outside noise.”

CLEVELAND

QB BAKER MAYFIELD apologized to his divas immediately after throwing a TD pass Sunday to a nobody.  Joe Kinsey of Outkick.com:

Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry are having trouble getting theirs in Cleveland, but as we learned this week from NFL Films, Baker Mayfield is trying to keep their heads in the game and what the Browns — over .500 for the first time since December 2014 — are building in 2020.

“I love you boys. Be patient. I love you,” Mayfield said to the receiver after throwing a fourth-quarter touchdown to Harrison Bryant in Sunday’s 34-20 win over the Washington Football Team.

Beckham is currently tied for 61st in the NFL with 11 catches. His 155 yards is good for 48th in the NFL. Landry — 12 catches, 143 yards — is in the same neighborhood as Beckham.

“Yeah, of course [it was appreciated],” Landry said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He has awareness. He understands just as well I am sure as everybody on this call or everybody that watches our games understands, guys want the ball. There’s no question about that.”

Beckham, who played on one winning team over his first six seasons, appears to be jumping on the team-first bandwagon – for now. Landry has one winning season on his resume too.

“We’re just finding ways to win right now, to be honest,” Beckham said. “It is like you play basketball and someone is right-handed and you can’t force them to go left. Why would you even go left? That is what I always say. We are just doing what works right now and what is getting us wins.”

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

So there wasn’t an signing, much less workout, for S EARL THOMAS.  Nick Shook of NFL.com with the official explanation:

Earl Thomas was all set to visit the Houston Texans when a rash of positive COVID-19 tests elsewhere put his employment audition on hold.

Instead of working out for the team in Houston, Thomas’ meeting was canceled as a result of what Texans coach Bill O’Brien called “a unique couple of days.”

“Yesterday, early in the morning we got a phone call from the league relative to Minnesota and Tennessee, what was going on there with those two teams,” O’Brien said. “So we decided — we had a bunch of guys in here ready to work out — we said instead of keeping those guys holed up in a hotel, potentially to be there several days, we didn’t know at that point. It was better for us to just cancel the workouts. We had several workouts.”

With the league implementing a strict protocol for player visits and workouts amid the ongoing pandemic, prospective additions don’t just simply fly in, work out and fly out anymore. They must test and isolate, requiring the aforementioned hotel stay, before they can audition.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell urged all teams to consider their method for hosting players for tryouts in a memo responding to the news of the positive COVID-19 tests.

That is why Thomas has yet to work out with the Texans as anticipated, not anything that has to do with Thomas’ ability or character, O’Brien said.

“Earl Thomas is a hell of a player, he’s had a great career,” the coach continued. “Again, we had a bunch of guys in and we decided to cancel. You know, we’ll see how it goes moving forward, but that’s really what it was. It’s not anything other than that. Got a lot of respect for Earl.”

Did the Titans Covid19 spread because of a player they worked out?

TENNESSEE

The slow drip of positive Covid tests continues with the Titans.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The COVID-19 outbreak on the Tennessee Titans is not going away.

Two more Titans players received positive tests today, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The two players have not been identified, but they’ll join cornerback Kristian Fulton, linebacker Kamalei Correa, defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, long snapper Beau Brinkley and practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson among seven Titans players who tested positive. Six staff members have also tested positive.

The Vikings, who played the Titans on Sunday, have not reported any positive tests. So the NFL may have dodged a bullet by avoiding any in-game transmissions.

The Titans’ regularly scheduled game against the Steelers has been postponed.

The NFLPA wants to figure out what went wrong?  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

Titans coach Mike Vrabel recently said that no one bears blame for the COVID-19 outbreak within his team. The NFL Players Association isn’t willing to reach that same conclusion.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFLPA plans to conduct a “thorough review” of the Tennessee outbreak, with one of the goals being determining whether the incident was “avoidable.”

Vrabel’s position notwithstanding, the reality is this: Either the protocols weren’t good enough or they weren’t properly followed. The mere fact that the virus got in shows that there’s a flaw in the design and/or the execution of the various applicable processes.

Here’s hoping the NFL, the NFLPA, and/or the Titans can figure out what happened. In the ultimate pass/fail test, the system failed in Tennessee. The more that everyone involved realizes what did or didn’t occur, the more likely something like this won’t happen again.

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND

QB CAM NEWTON is on a year-long “business trip.”  Mike Reiss of ESPN.com:

Quarterback Cam Newton has a large chip on each of his large shoulders this season, the result of an 86-day wait in NFL free agency in which he wondered if he would be playing for anyone in 2020.

That led him to the New England Patriots on what he described this week as a “business trip” — one in which he said he wakes up each morning angry because his children aren’t with him. The urgency is palpable for him.

“Knowing that if I don’t do what I’m supposed to do, this could be ‘good riddance’ for me. That’s as serious as it is,” Newton said on sports radio WEEI.

His Patriots teammates feel it.

“He’s very motivated. As early as he works, as hard as he works, it’s hard to not fall in line for a guy like that,” starting right guard Shaq Mason said. “You want to have a leader like that.”

His coaches feel it, too.

“I’ve certainly observed someone that’s truly inspired to play as well as humanly possible,” quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch said. “His work ethic has been well-documented since he’s been here, and it’s all true. He’s here first in the morning, he’s last to leave.”

Newton has helped the Patriots to a 2-1 start, although he’s coming off a self-described “subpar performance” in last Sunday’s 36-20 win against the Las Vegas Raiders when his decision-making was shaky at times, including one “inexcusable” interception.

Through three games, he has accounted for six touchdowns (four rushing) and thrown for 714 yards with a 68.1 completion percentage, a career best. Should Newton lead the Patriots to an upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS), the 2015 MVP would hit the quarter point of the season as a strong candidate for NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

He would also be positioned for another possible “award”: best job stepping into an unforgiving situation — replacing six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, whose shadow still looms large over the franchise. It plays out each Sunday when Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers games are shown nationally on television.

Last week, Newton acknowledged the spotlight has never shined brighter on him in his football playing career, in part because of that. How he has approached it has made a strong impression.

“Cam’s been very consistent since I have first met [him]. He loves the game of football and he also loves working really hard,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “I have a great respect for how much time and effort he puts in to prepare himself each day for what lies ahead. He doesn’t cut any corner.”

NEW YORK JETS

The antics of the defense of Gregg Williams in Thursday’s loss to Denver took some of the focus off the failure of QB SAM DARNOLD on the final drive. Alex Smith of YahooSports.com:

Facing a fellow 0-3 team in the Denver Broncos, the Jets had their chances to come out of Thursday’s game with their first win of the season, but costly penalties seemed to get in their way at every turn in the 37-28 loss.

As a team, the Jets had 11 penalties for 118 yards, including six personal fouls. Perhaps none of them were more costly than Quinnen Williams’ facemask penalty against Brett Rypien, which negated a third-down sack that would have forced the Broncos to punt from deep in their own territory.

The Jets had just taken a 28-27 lead, but the penalty allowed the Broncos’ drive to continue. Denver would capitalize on the second life with afield goal to go up 30-28, before later icing the game with along Melvin Gordon touchdown.

“We had multiple chances to get off the field. We hurt ourselves,” Adam Gase said after the game. “Penalties were just brutal. Made them punt one time and just couldn’t do the right stuff. When we did hit [Rypien], we were hitting him late and were getting personal fouls. It’s ridiculous.

“When you look at it and there are 11 penalties for 118 yards, I mean we hurt ourselves. We need to get this corrected and we need to figure out like what guys are going to do things right, what guys are going to do the right things at the right time. This is not the way that we’re gonna play.”

In fact, the Jets’ final personal foul of the night came just before the final whistle, when Steve McLendon was charged with a helmet-to-helmet hit on Rypien on a fourth-down play.

The Broncos’ sideline seemed to be clearly upset at how physically the Jets were playing, and as a result, Broncos head coach Vic Fangio ushered his players straight into the locker room after the game ended, failing to shake hands with Gase at midfield.

“Well, there were just a couple personal fouls there at the end and our sideline was getting pissed off about it, and I just wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation at the end of the game and have it get ugly,” Fangio said. “So I tried to get our guys to leave quickly just to avoid anything happening there.

“I thought it was the prudent thing to do.”

Added Gase: “I saw those guys start going off and I heard Vic yelling at his guys saying ‘Get in the locker room,’ so I saw what was going on. I think he was just trying to make sure we didn’t have any kind of melee. It was getting heated.

“I’ve known Vic for a minute. I’m sure I’ll talk to him here sometime.”

At the end of the night, the Jets had a good chance of securing their first win of the season, but ultimately it was the sloppy play and foolish penalties that helped sink the team to 0-4.

“Really, it’s just decision making,” Gase said. “We’ve got to make the right decisions. We can’t just keep doing the same things over and over and over again.”

Steve Smith of NFL Network let Williams have it. Chris Bumbaca of USA TODAY:

the most fiery criticism of the Jets’ recklessness — six personal foul penalties in all — came on the league network’s postgame show from former Carolina Panthers receiver and now-analyst Steve Smith Sr., who placed the blame squarely on Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

“What I’m talking about is straight Gregg Williams,” Smith Sr. said. “Wherever he goes, the nonsense follows. That’s how he runs his defense and that’s how he does it, straight up. I’m not saying you have to believe me. I’m saying I’m willing to put myself out there and call a spade a spade. That’s what he’s done. That’s who he is. That’s what he preaches.

“That’s what he wants his players on defense to be. … His defense is about that BS. That’s how he coaches them. That’s how he influences them.”

Smith Sr. went on to say he has talked to the former New Orleans Saints coordinator, who was at the center of the team’s Bountygate scandal, about the way his defenses play.

“Until something changes, I see it for what it is,” Smith said. “If it smells like a pig, it looks like a pig, and it’s oinking? Then guess what, my friend, it’s a pig.”

But, while he had his moments, Darnold could not get the Jets in position for a winning FG try.  With 3^rd and 3 on their own 43, he tried to throw an interception but Denver dropped it.  On 4^th and 3, he held the ball and was sacked.

As we saw on Twitter – bad situational awareness.

But give Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News credit – he’s never met a smoldering dumpster fire that he couldn’t write into a flaming conflagration.  Enjoy the piling on:

These Jets have found unimaginably creative ways to torture their loyal followers and themselves during this train-wreck season.

The latest installment of this Gang Green dumpster fire featured a masked man coaching scared, an awful “revamped” offensive line, an undisciplined defense that committed one annoying, ill-timed penalty after another and a general feeling of ineptitude surrounding the NFL’s undisputed laughingstock.

Somehow, some way, Adam Gase’s team lost to an undrafted quarterback making his first start — on the road in a short week. The Jets’ 37-28 loss to the Broncos Thursday night exposed this cringe-worthy outfit to a national audience.

In a game between two desperate teams, the J-E-T-S revealed themselves to be a special brand of bad. For most of the night, they made Brett Rypien look more like his uncle than a neophyte signal caller with nine career pass attempts.

And even when Rypien began to unravel with interceptions on back-to-back fourth-quarter drives, the Jets coach played like a frightened turtle, refusing to go for it on 4th and a half-yard inside the red-zone with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

No. Gase, who dropped to 30-39 as a head coach, opted for Sam Ficken’s fifth field goal to take a lead rather than show any belief in Sam Darnold or his offense. Along the way, the Jets couldn’t stop committing dumb penalties, extending drives with self-inflicted wounds on third down. Gang Green committed eight of their 11 penalties (for 118 yards) in the first 15 minutes of the game.

Gase dropped to 0-4 for a second consecutive season, proving to everyone in this solar system that he’s overmatched and unfit to lead an NFL team. With brilliant offensive minds like that, who needs dolts?

On the bright side, for the first time this season the Jets didn’t get throttled. That’s the kind of bread crumb that Gase will surely cling to in the coming days. The truth, of course, is that his team was an undisciplined mess against a winless opponent that rolled into town with their jay-vee squad.

The Broncos had 11 players on injured reserve, including their starting quarterback, best wide receiver, key running back, right tackle, perennial Pro Bowl defensive tackle, starting cornerback and future Hall of Fame pass rusher.

And did we mention that Brett Rypien was the quarterback?

Sam Darnold jolted his struggling offense with a 46-yard touchdown scamper on the opening drive, but little else deserved high praise. The Jets averaged just 4.3 yards per play. Gase’s play-calling was stale yet again. The offensive guru leaned on his 37-year-old running back too often for unofficially the billionth time. Darnold, who played with a sprained shoulder suffered on the second drive, went 23-for-42 for 230 yards, no touchdown passes and a 70.5 passer rating. Although the third-year quarterback was better than last weekend’s three-interception nightmare, he wasn’t nearly good enough.

Joe Douglas’ alleged pet project this offseason — the offensive line — also stunk. Denver had six sacks (and 10 quarterback hits) after entering the game with just four sacks.

Frankly, nobody wearing all black was on Thursday night.

The Jets might have provided much more entertainment than they had in their first three non-competitive losses, but don’t get it twisted: They still emit a malodorous air that isn’t going away anytime soon.

Gase obviously isn’t solving anything even as the powers that be try to spin all the reasons why he should stick around longer. It got so ugly in the waning moments when the game was decided that Broncos coach Vic Fangio told his team to leave the field rather than loiter.

Alec Ogletree was called for offsides with 13 seconds to go before Steve McLendon was flagged for roughing the passer on 4th and 13 with eight seconds to go. So Fangio wanted no parts of shaking Gase’s hand after the game.

 “There were a couple of personal fouls at the end and our sideline was pissed off,” Fangio said. “I wanted to avoid any confrontation and have it get ugly. I thought it was the prudent thing to do.”

That’s how the night ended for the league laughingstock. They couldn’t even lose with class.

So, what now?

Where do the Jets go? They have no direction. They have no leader. They have no hope.

It takes a lot of hard work to be this lost.