The Jets lost their third straight game to open the season, this one an embarrassing 26-0 loss to the Broncos. Here are some thoughts and observations on the game:

1. We’ve all been focused on a Jets rookie on offense, but maybe not the right one. With all the attention paid to quarterback Zach Wilson this summer, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur flew under the radar a little.

That’s over.

The 34-year-old first-time play-caller is learning what life is like as a Jets OC. It has to be one of the most unpopular jobs in New York sports because of years of underachievement by the person in that role. Think Mets closer.

LaFleur is the latest to get a crack at it, and it is not going well through three games. The Jets are averaging 6.7 points per game and looked downright inept on Sunday. LaFleur does not seem to have any answers when things start going wrong. The Jets have started so slowly that they have only scored a field goal in the first half of the first three games. Even Adam Gase’s offense usually scored on its first drive.

You did not have to be Vince Lombardi to realize that the Jets needed to establish a ground game against the Broncos. They needed to take some pressure off of Wilson, keep the Broncos pass rush honest and not allow them to rush with no worry. But LaFleur only dialed up 13 runs. There was not much deception either with draws, traps or even screens (an offshoot of the run game).

LaFleur also has not figured out how to use Wilson’s athleticism to his advantage. Call a designed run for Wilson. Let him roll out more. We can see how quick he is when he is trying to avoid the pass rush.

The play call I really had an issue with came on the Jets’ first drive of the second half. Michael Carter gained 8 yards on second down to set up third-and-2. After the Jets had to burn a timeout, they came out with Wilson in shotgun and five wide receivers. The running back motioned out of the backfield, so Wilson was back there by himself. It is third-and-2; shouldn’t you at least give the illusion you might run? Instead, the defense now knows he’s passing. There is no play-action threat at all to freeze the linebackers. Wilson just dropped back and threw across the middle, nearly getting intercepted. Why not call a bootleg there and get Wilson out of the pocket? Give him a chance to either pass or run for the first down.

There were plenty of troubling aspects of Sunday’s loss. LaFleur’s performance was at the top of the list.

2. Here is what I imagine must be extremely frustrating for Jets fans: you watch other games around the NFL and see how close games are. There are finishes that come down to the end of the game every week all over the place. Then, you watch the Jets and they lay an egg — again.

Sunday’s loss was the 35th Jets loss since 2016 by 10 points or more. It was the 21st loss by 20 points or more.

This is the NFL, not the SEC. Even the worst teams are supposed to be able to at least compete. But the Jets have become Vanderbilt — the team everyone wants to schedule for Homecoming.

Sunday’s 26-0 loss was the second straight week the Jets got blown out after only losing by five in Week 1 to the Panthers.

By year, here are the double-digit losses:

2020 – nine

2019 – seven

2018 – six

2017 – four

2016 – seven

We’ll see if Robert Saleh can turn this around and make the Jets a more competitive team and avoid more of these lopsided losses.

3. There was a Jets drive in the second quarter where it looked like the offense had figured something out. They were throwing short passes and were moving the ball down the field. Two straight passes went to tight end Tyler Kroft. If you watch the Jets regularly, you may have wondered if throwing to the tight end is against the rules. Kroft had two catches for 12 yards on the series. One was a really nice catch to keep the drive alive. He did not catch another pass in the game. Ryan Griffin, the team’s other tight end, had one catch for 5 yards.

The duo has six catches each this season and no touchdowns. A tight end should be a young quarterback’s best friend, an easy outlet. Dustin Keller was a nice security blanket for a young Mark Sanchez. But the Jets can’t seem to figure out how to incorporate the tight ends into the offense. It is yet another issue that persists year after year it feels.

4. OK, let’s go with one positive note here. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams had a very disruptive game. He had 1 ½ sacks, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits. He also was a factor against the run. Williams broke a bone in his foot in April and missed all of the spring and about half of training camp. It was natural to expect some rust from him and it showed in the first week. But he has emerged in the last two games and is starting to look like a stud in the middle of the defense for the Jets.

Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap tweeted this out: through the first three games of this season the Jets have scored 20 points. Last year, they scored 37 in the first three games. They gained 724 yards this year. Last year, it was 791. So, the offense actually looks worse than last year, which seems nearly impossible to do.

Quinnen Williams only played 35 snaps out of 67 (52 percent). It seemed like he was everywhere during the game. It was a hot day in Denver, which led to a heavy D-line rotation and Williams’ numbers being low.

There really is no choice here other than Williams for the reasons stated above. He is one young player that is showing promise.