DENVER _ From the moment the Jets took the field Sunday, things were bad.
Rookie running back Elijah McGuire was dropped for a 3-yard loss and apparently suffered an ankle injury on their first snap. Josh McCown was strip-sacked two plays later, and on it went for the Jets.
When the afternoon ended, McCown was in the locker room watching because of a broken left (non-throwing) hand and a sore lower back as the Jets lost to the Broncos, 23-0, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. It was the first time the Jets had been shut out since Oct. 5, 2014, in a 31-0 loss to the Chargers.
The loss ended any realistic playoff hopes for the Jets (5-8) and probably started the movement to get Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg on the field more.
After the game, Todd Bowles announced that McCown had broken his hand. He said McCown will need more tests and that he wouldn't rule him out of Sunday's game against the Saints in New Orleans. Bowles said Petty will start if McCown can't.
The Jets' offense was just awful, netting only 100 yards. In some interesting play calls, the Jets elected to run the ball late in the game instead of letting Petty pass. The Jets had seven three-and-outs and averaged 2.1 yards per play.
After the Broncos took a 20-0 lead on an Andy Janovich's 1-yard run with 6:34 to play in the third quarter, the Jets had produced totaled only 51 yards to the Broncos had 214 yards.
Before leaving for the day, McCown completed 6 of 12 passes for 46 yards with one interception and a quarterback rating of 25.
McCown left the game twice. The first time was with 11:03 left in the second quarter, after he took a shot to the lower back by Jamal Carter and Aqib Talib as he scrambled for a first down. McCown was out for two plays as Petty took over. McCown returned, but it was clear he couldn't move around as smoothly as before.
Late in the third quarter, McCown was taken down hard by linebacker Shane Ray as he completed a 14-yard pass to Matt Forte. McCown quickly got up and walked toward the sideline before taking a knee. After being checked out by the doctors, he walked toward the locker room and Petty took over again. He did even worse, completing 2 of 9 for 14 yards.
The Jets' offense wasn't the only thing hampered. Long snapper Thomas Hennessy left the game in the first quarter with a concussion after making a tackle. It moved backup tight end Eric Tomlinson to deep snapper.
Without McGuire, the Jets relied on Bilal Powell and Forte, who was limited during the week of practice with a swollen right knee.
