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EPR is higher on the Broncos than I am. I see a team that has been decimated by injuries and doesn't really have anything to hang its hat on. Beating the Jets on Thursday night was nice, but all that really means is the Broncos are not the worst team in the league. Denver has played hard for Vic Fangio, but it's tough to see the Broncos putting together a bunch of wins with this squad. This season remains about information-gathering at quarterback once Drew Lock returns.

They found a way to win a game on the road, which is the good news. The bad news is they didn't look good doing so.

More impressive? OLB Bradley Chubb's 2½ sacks last Thursday, or Brett Rypien's prowess as a blocking QB (an underappreciated skill set)?

FPI chance to make playoffs: 4.6%

History suggests this is just about right: Since 1980, only six teams have made the playoffs after starting the season 0-3, the record the Broncos were sitting on until they beat the equally struggling Jets on Thursday night. The schedule doesn't do them any favors, with a contest at New England on Sunday, two tilts against the Chiefs and a game apiece versus the Bills and Saints. Meanwhile, there are six starters already on injured reserve, including Von Miller and Courtland Sutton, and that's in addition to quarterback Drew Lock having already missed two games and running back Phillip Lindsay having sat out three. Even with an expanded playoff field, the Broncos have the most uphill of climbs. -- Jeff Legwold

Vic Fangio's defense was more aggressive on Thursday night, and it paid off against the Jets. Denver entered Week 4 with one of the lowest blitz rates in the league, but Fangio repeatedly sent extra rushers at Sam Darnold, leading to six sacks and 10 QB hits in a 37-28 win at MetLife Stadium. Will the Broncos deploy a similar approach going forward? On offense, Brett Rypien mixed in some very good with some very bad in his NFL starting debut. Drew Lock needn't worry about getting Wally Pipp'd out of his job at this point, but Rypien needed just four quarters to prove himself a superior backup option to Blake Bortles.