The Denver Broncos beat the New York Jets 13-11 on a day where the defense sacked Jets quarterback Justin Fields nine times while allowing just 82 net yards on offense.
New York had a chance to attempt a 62-yard field goal with 1:14 left in the game. However, Gang Green instead decided to attempt a fourth down conversion, which was stopped to give the Broncos their fourth win of the season.
The Jets got off to a great start, forcing their first turnover of the season defensively. Gang Green recovered a loose fumble from rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin that was recovered by safety Andre Cisco to give New York the football in enemy territory. As usual, however, the Jets shot themselves in the foot by committing a false start and taking a sack on consecutive plays, so they settled for a field goal to go up 3-0. Before this one, New York had the worst turnover differential in the league (-8).
Denver responded well. They put together a seven-play, 28-yard drive that ended with a 57-yard Wil Lutz field goal to tie things up, 3-3. It was Lutz’s longest field goal of the campaign.
New York returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards to the Denver 24-yard line. However, the Broncos defense forced a three-and-out and held the Jets to another field goal, making the score 6-3.
Denver had no problem responding. While facing a 4th and 5 at the Jets’ 47, quarterback Bo Nix completed a pass to tight end Evan Engram for a first down at the New York 36. This fourth-down conversion proved extremely important as it set up a 16-yard touchdown reception by tight end Nate Adkins to put the Broncos back on top 10-6 to start the second quarter. Adkins, who had two catches the season before this game, recorded two receptions on Denver’s first three drives.
Even though they had two field goals to show for their efforts, the Jets offense looked terrible. New York opened the game with four straight three-and-outs while recording a net yardage on offense. On Gang Green’s first four series, quarterback Justin Fields completed two of four passes with one yard and three sacks.
The offensive fireworks calmed down in the second quarter. After four straight drives that ended in points, these teams combined for four straight punts.
Gang Green finally converted its first third down attempt of the game with 2:32 left in the second quarter. Despite being stopped on their next third down, the Jets faked a punt and went on another series of downs with a minute left in the half. With the clock running, the Jets could have attempted a Hail Mary before the break. However, they were unable to stop a play before time expired in the second quarter, even though the offense lined up with about ten seconds left, sending this one into halftime. New York’s 32 total offensive yards in the first half were the fewest of any team this season.
The Jets’ first possession of the third quarter went well. They collected three first downs before the series ended at Denver’s 20. From there, New York was able to kick a 38-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-9 in favor of the Broncos. On this drive, the Jets exceeded their offensive yardage total from the first half.
After a quick three-and-out, the Jets got the ball back on their own 42 with a chance to regain the lead. Justin Fields executed a perfect quarterback play on a 3rd and short to get the ball to Denver’s side of the field. Unfortunately for Jets fans, the drive fizzled out on Gang Green’s next third down attempt, resulting in a punt that was downed at the Broncos three-yard line.
New York took the lead on the next play. Denver offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz was flagged for an offensive holding penalty in the Broncos end zone. Typically, this gave the Jets a two-point safety to give them an 11-10 lead. To add insult to injury, the Broncos had to get the ball to Gang Green, but they didn’t do anything with that extra possession, so Denver got the ball back at their 18.
On New York’s next series, they almost made a huge mistake when receiver Garrett Wilson was stripped of the ball and Denver recovered the free fumble. However, review of the replay helped the referees determine that the play was simply an incompletion rather than a catch, leading to the decision being overturned. The drive was derailed, however, after Denver recorded its sixth sack of the day to close out the third quarter.
Even though New York was completely dominated in the first half, they looked much better in the third quarter. They managed to limit the Broncos to just nine total offensive yards, while Bo Nix failed to complete a pass during that 15-minute stretch.
Following a Jets punt, Denver got the ball back with 10:16 remaining. Bo Nix broke the schneid by hitting Evan Engram for a 12-yard gain, his first completion of the second half. A few plays later, Marvin Mims completed a short pass to the New York 34-yard line on a 3rd-and-8. The drive could have died down at the Jets’ nine, but Denver kicked a short field goal to regain the lead 13-11 with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
New York would not be able to mount a meaningful response. Justin Fields took his seventh sack of the day on a 3rd-and-10 to force a Gang Green punt with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter. With this removal, Nik Bonitto became sole owner of first place as the league leader in sacks with eight this season.
The Jets got the ball back with one more chance to win this game after a quick three-and-out by Denver. They started the possession at their own 44-yard line with 2:23 left. A bad hit was taken by running back Breece Hall to bring the ball to midfield after the two-minute warning. Gang Green reached the Broncos’ 44, where they decided to go for a first down on a 4th and 8 rather than attempt a 62-yard field goal. Unfortunately for New York, Justin Fields was overthrown in the backfield to give Denver the victory.
With this victory, the Broncos take sole first place in the AFC West, ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers, who will play later in the day.
*Author’s Note: All information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com and ESPN.com*
