An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Broncos matchup in Denver.

Jets RB Breece Hall vs. Broncos defense

Hall has been tremendous so far in his rookie season. He ran for 116 yards last week in the win over the Packers and scored the touchdown that iced the game. That came a week after he gained 197 yards from scrimmage against the Dolphins.

Though the Broncos’ offense has struggled, their defense has played well. They are third in yards allowed and fourth in points allowed in the NFL. Former Broncos coach Vic Fangio installed the defense and new coordinator Ejiro Evero has kept it going.

“They’ve done a great job adding their flavor to it,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said, “and they’ve done a great job with the details and all that stuff. They’re so precise, so fast, relentless. It’s as good of a defense as we’ll see all year. I’ll probably say that a couple more times here in a few weeks, but these guys are legit. They’re hard to move the ball on.”

This is going to be an ugly, low-scoring game dominated by defense. The Jets have won three in a row and the Broncos have lost three in a row. Both teams are due for their fortunes to flip.

Broncos 17, Jets 14

Take a pass: With the way the Jets have been running the ball, they have not been passing much. Quarterback Zach Wilson threw it just 18 times last week, none in the fourth quarter. At some point, a defense is going to shut down the rushing attack and Wilson is going to have to win them a game.

“I think he’s ready,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “I think that’s why he’s having a really good start to his year. … If the quarterback doesn’t need to play quarterback and you can win a football game, then you prefer that the quarterback doesn’t have to play quarterback, but he’s proven that. I’ll go back to that Pittsburgh game that if we need him to play quarterback, he can play quarterback, so we’re not worried about Zach.”

Let it Ryp: The Broncos made a big move this offseason, shipping a package of draft picks and players to the Seahawks to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson. The early returns have not been good ,and now Wilson will miss Sunday’s game.

Brett Rypien will start in place of Wilson, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. That name should be familiar to Jets fans. The 26-year-old made his only NFL start against the Jets in 2020. He went 19-of-31 for 242 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in a 37-28 Broncos win. Rypien is the nephew of former Washington quarterback, and Super Bowl XXVI MVP, Mark Rypien.

Third and wrong: The Jets pulled off quite a feat last week in Green Bay. They went 1-for-11 on third down and still found a way to win the game. This season, the Jets are 27th in the NFL on third downs, converting just 34.5 percent of the time. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said the team won’t be able to get any rhythm on offense until it starts converting on third downs.

“We were 0-for-6 on third down in the first half,” LaFleur said. “It’s one thing to be 0-for-6 when you’re in third-and-9-plus. We were in third-and-6 two times. We were third-and-2 one time, and third-and-1 another time and didn’t get any first downs with it. That’s killer in terms of getting the amount of plays you want to loosen up a defense, to get the pass game going.”

Dominant Q: Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has elevated his game this season and could be on the way to All-Pro honors. Williams was the best player on the field in Green Bay and won AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He has five sacks, 11 quarterback hits, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season. He also blocked a field goal last week.

Everyone around Williams is describing him as dominant, but that is not a word he feels he has reached yet.

“I definitely haven’t gotten to that word just yet, man,” Williams said. “Just because of all the learning I have to do, all the different things I want to do and want to accomplish and want to become.

“But I definitely feel like I’m on the right path to becoming dominant, but not there just yet.”