The Denver Broncos moved to 3-0 with a 26-0 beatdown of the woeful New York Jets, becoming just one of five unbeaten teams remaining in the NFL through three weeks.
Behind a smothering defense, QB Teddy Bridgewater guided the Broncos to an easy victory, throwing for 235 yards and completing 76.0 percent of his passes for a 104.6 passer rating. It marked Teddy B's third straight game with a 100-plus passer rating, the first time in his career he's done so.
Through three weeks, Bridgewater has generated a 76.8 completion percentage (franchise-best) and a 116.4 passer rating.
"Quit doubting Teddy, man," left tackle Garett Bolles implored after the game. "I love Teddy dearly. Let me tell y'all something. I was in Minnesota and we went to dinner when we went out there, and I saw how his mind is and I got to talk to him. And how he went through his reads, you know, he's a dog, man. The man can come in here and win the team over and continue to do the things that he's going to do. I love protecting his blind side. You know, being with him, and watching him do his thing. The dude is composed back there. He knows exactly where to throw the ball. I'm telling you right now man, he's a dangerous threat. If we do whatever we can to keep his jersey fresh, we're hard to beat."
While Bridgewater has played well, Denver has also faced three opponents this season who have a combined 0-9 record.
Bridgewater knows that the competition gets tougher from here on out.
"Now that we've had a taste of success, you know, we just want to stay there," the QB said. "There is always room for improvement, and that's the thing about this game that can humble you in so many ways. So as long as we keep that mindset of being humble and understand that our best is still yet to come, we can do some things moving forward. But it's great to come away and get this start, 3-0, build confidence in the locker room, and we just want to keep it going."
The biggest area of concern for the Broncos offense Sunday was squandering chances in the red zone, where Denver went just 2 of 5, including 2 of 4 in goal-to-go situations, with a goal-line fumble.
Coach Vic Fangio knows that while the miscues didn't hurt them against the Jets, better competition will make them pay.
"Yeah, that's concerning, and it's frustrating," the coach said. "It pisses you off when it happens, but we've been much better in the red zone this year overall. Obviously today we had to settle for the field goal the one time and then we fumbled one time, but I feel a lot better about our red zone offense."
The Broncos took care of business through three weeks. The defense has been smothering, and Bridgewater has played well. But the tests that lie ahead will tell whether Denver is a legit contender or just the beneficiary of a cushy opening slate.