By Nick Kosmider, Zack Rosenblatt and Devon Henderson
Offense was at a premium in the first half of the New York Jets’ game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday in London. In the second half, it was even harder to find.
With 13 minutes remaining in the game, the teams had combined for fewer than 60 yards of total offense in the second half. The defensive showdown ended in a 13-11 win for the Broncos, keeping the Jets winless at 0-6. The Broncos improved to 4-2.
Entering the game, the Broncos boasted the league’s fifth-ranked defense in total yards allowed and one of its most disruptive pass rushes, leading the NFL with 21 sacks. They held the Jets to 32 total yards in the first half, including just two net passing yards, both season lows for any team in a single half.
Justin Fields finished 9-for-17 for 45 yards and no touchdowns. His top target, Garrett Wilson — who entered the week leading all AFC receivers in catches and yards, and was tied for first in touchdowns — managed just three catches for 13 yards. His three-game receiving touchdown streak came to an end.
Wilson was seen in a spirited exchange with Jets head coach Aaron Glenn heading into halftime after the team’s baffling clock management on its final drive.
The Jets’ run defense, however, stood firm, limiting Denver’s top-five rushing attack to just 78 yards on the ground. The Broncos had entered averaging 140 rushing yards per game.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix finished 19-for-30 for 174 yards and one touchdown — a 16-yard strike to tight end Nate Adkins on the final play of the first quarter.
Denver defense continues assault on QBs
There was an inevitability to almost every drop-back by Fields on Sunday. One way or another, he was going to feel the heat. The Broncos, who entered the game leading the NFL in sacks, added nine more against the Jets, spreading the wealth among linebackers, defensive linemen and even safety Talanoa Hufanga.
The last came on the Jets’ final offensive play, as Jonathon Cooper and Brandon Jones combined to drop Fields and effectively end the game.
Five of the nine sacks came on third or fourth down, including Nik Bonitto’s whip-quick takedown as Fields was trying to lead the Jets into range for a go-ahead field goal midway through the fourth quarter.
Denver’s defense remained stifling even when it was put in unfavorable situations. The Jets managed 1 yard of total offense over their first three drives, yet they had six points to show for it because of a Broncos fumble in their own territory and then a 72-yard kickoff return surrendered by Denver’s special teams unit.
The Jets finished the game with minus-10 net passing yards. It was a dominant performance by the NFL’s best pass rush. — Nick Kosmider, Broncos beat writer
Broncos offense flounders in Powers’ absence
The Broncos played their first game without Ben Powers since the veteran left guard joined the team in 2023. The result wasn’t pretty.
Replacement Matt Peart committed two holding penalties, including a drive-altering infraction in the second quarter, and was also called for a false start. When Peart wasn’t getting whistled for a penalty, he had a hard time holding his position as the Jets concentrated their pass-rushing efforts on the left side of Denver’s offensive line.
Peart is certainly not the only one to blame for Denver’s putrid offensive effort, which included a trio of three-and-outs and a safety — on Quinn Meinerz for holding in the end zone — among the team’s first four drives of the second half. The Broncos had their least effective rushing performance of the season. They gained only 47 yards on 18 rushes from their running backs.
The Broncos finally got a drive going in the fourth quarter and had a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line. But they didn’t gain another yard as Nix’s third-down pass to Courtland Sutton in the end zone sailed long. — Kosmider
Jets offense fails to lift off
On a day where the Jets’ defense and special teams stepped up in a major way, the Jets’ offense did not meet the moment. Really, it’s hard to blame anyone but Fields for that, besides perhaps offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. For most of the afternoon, the Jets seemed deathly afraid to throw the ball, and even when they did, it rarely traveled more than 5 yards in the air. Fields was sacked nine times, and many of them were the result of his holding the ball too long, even as receivers appeared to be open.
The best evidence that the Jets were scared to let Fields throw came before halftime, when New York went for it on fourth down on a fake punt, converted it, and then proceeded to run out the clock to head to the locker room. The Jets had two net passing yards going into halftime (and 32 yards total), and things didn’t get much better in the second half. Before the Jets’ last possession, the team had only gained 88 total yards and had zero — yes, zero — net passing yards. Fields was rough enough that it’s fair to wonder if Glenn considered replacing him with Tyrod Taylor to get something going.
Despite all of that, the Jets held a lead entering the fourth quarter, and the defense gave Fields and the offense the ball with 2:23 to play and a chance to take the lead. The defense kept Nix under 200 passing yards and the Broncos’ running game to 3.3 yards per carry (and only 2.6 yards per carry for the running backs). The defense didn’t record a sack until the fourth quarter — but it was a clutch one by Jermaine Johnson, who played extremely well in his first game back from an ankle injury. It didn’t matter. The Jets offense came right back and allowed two more sacks, failing to get into field goal range and missing a chance at an upset victory. — Zack Rosenblatt, Jets beat writer
