Broncos coach John Fox, right, congratulates Peyton Manning after his 500th career touchdown pass in the first quarter in last week’s win over Arizona. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Everything about this trip is different. The Broncos play their third opponent in MetLife Stadium in 13 months.
No wonder coach John Fox stresses the who, not the where. The Broncos played their worst game of the season, or of many seasons, last February in New Jersey. But it came against the Seahawks, not the New York Giants or Jets.
The Broncos smothered the Giants here last season. They arrive here with similar expectations, a heavy favorite against a Jets team playing to save coach Rex Ryan’s job.
The gravity of the Super Bowl rattles brains, creates ulcers. It’s not just another game. Never will be. This is not the Super Bowl. This is a difficult road test. Why? All road games in the NFL present a challenge. Denver hasn’t won on the road this year, 0-1 after falling to the Seahawks.
Spending the last 24 hours here, Jets fans remain understandably pessimistic, traced to the awful play of quarterback Geno Smith. He leads the league in interceptions and turnovers. For the Jets to compete, they will look to run the ball, and keep Peyton Manning off the field. I was surprised at the amount of conversation about Manning breaking Brett Favre’s all-time touchdown record.
Manning needs six TDs to eclipse Favre. He has thrown at least six three times in his career. The Jets would be an unlikely opponent for Manning to make history. He’s 7-4 against New York with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Manning fired seven touchdowns in last season’s opener against the Baltimore Ravens, breaking his career high of six last reached in 2004 at Detroit.
Footnotes
Manning needs 202 passing yards to tie Jake Plummer (11,631) for fourth most in Broncos history. … Emmanuel Sanders is eyeing history. He’s attempting to become the first Broncos receiver to record four straight 100-yard games. … DeMarcus Ware needs 1.5 sacks to tie Clyde Simmons for 16th on the NFL’s all-time list. … Von Miller has netted sacks in three consecutive games, the second longest streak in his career. … Tight end Julius Thomas leads the NFL with seven touchdowns, one ahead of the Packers’ Randall Cobb.
