After the New York Jets’ crushing loss to the Denver Broncos, multiple players addressed the media.
Offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker said that the Jets “beat themselves” against the Broncos and called New York the better team.
“That’s a good team in Denver. But we know we’re better. We beat ourselves today,” Vera-Tucker said.
The fourth-year guard also defended the team’s effort.
“We definitely played our asses off. When you go back and look at the tape, you’ll see we did that. But credit to the Broncos, they’re a good team.”
"We definitely played our asses off. When you go back and look at the tape, you'll see we did that. But credit to the Broncos, they're a good team."
– Alijah Vera-Tucker on the Jets' offensive line pic.twitter.com/hOijKXM3Er
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) September 29, 2024
Fellow offensive lineman John Simpson said the Jets need to “lock in” to fix the penalties and discussed his mishap in the red zone.
“I feel like when I got my second penalty, it was a play that could have won the game. So, I feel like I got to get better.”
Running back Breece Hall added to Simpson’s sentiment regarding the pre-snap mistakes and penalties.
“I just feel like we weren’t as locked in and probably just a little antsy. It could be better; it had to be better with all that stuff. I feel like just from me, I had a bad day in pass pros, so I am being antsy trying to get on the same level with the O-line and then get my linebacker because I don’t ever want my guy to beat me. So, that was part of the reason, but like I said, we got to better at the end of the day.”
Hall also spoke about his early struggles and why he has not fully gotten rolling yet in the 2024 season.
“I wish I could tell you. My teammates know how much I put into it, and I know how much they also put into it. So, personally, I try to go out and just do my 1/11th every play, and unfortunately, I haven’t had the big rushing games and stuff like that.
“I just try to do my part, do my part in the pass pro, do my part in play fix, communicating with Aaron (Rodgers), communicating with the o-line, and if I got to be in the receiving game. Obviously, I wish I could run for 100 or 200 yards every game, but realistically, right now, I’m the focal point of most defenses, so it’s just really not happening,” said Hall.
Wide receiver Allen Lazard called the loss “unacceptable” and spoke about how the offense let down the defense on Sunday.
“Anytime our defense can hold any team to 10 points, we’ve got to be able to put up a little more than that. They had done a phenomenal job all day. They had that one drive where they ended up scoring on third down, I’m pretty sure, and that’s uncharacteristic of them to keep a guy wide open. But we had the ball at the 1-yard line and couldn’t put it in, so that is not our standard, that’s not our expectation, and we’ve got to fix that.”
Cornerback D.J. Reed said he still has confidence in the Jets this season.
“I’m still very confident. It’s early in the season. This is Week 4. We’re 2-2. We’re even, so we have to continue to be deliberate and intentional with practice, walkthroughs, and everything. Watching film and getting ready for Minnesota.”
The Jets must quickly put the crushing Week 4 loss behind them. A difficult matchup with the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings awaits across the pond in London in Week 5, while a Monday night rematch with the 3-1 Buffalo Bills awaits in Week 6.
