NFL: Jets Fall To 0-6 With Heart-Breaking Loss To The Broncos

The Denver Broncos defeated the New York Jets 13-11 on a day where the defense sacked Jets quarterback Justin Fields nine times while allowing only 82 net yards of offense.

New York had a chance to try a 62-yard go-ahead 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 an excellent start when they forced their first turnover of the season defensively. Gang Green recovered a loose fumble by rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin that was picked up by safety Andre Cisco to give New York the football in enemy territory. As usual, though, the Jets shot themselves in the foot by committing a false start and taking a sack on back-to-back plays, so they settled for a field goal to go up 3-0. Coming into this one, New York had the league’s worst turnover differential (-8).

Denver responded nicely. They put together a seven-play, 28-yard drive that ended with a 57-yard field goal by Wil Lutz to tie things up, 3-3. That was Lutz’s longest field goal of the campaign.

New York returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards to Denver’s 24 yard line. However, the Broncos’ defense forced a three-and-out and held the Jets to another field goal, bringing the score to 6-3.

Denver had no issue answering back. 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 New York’s 36. That fourth-down conversion proved to be incredibly important because 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 on the season prior to this game, recorded two receptions on Denver’s first three drives.

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 one net yard of offense. On Gang Green’s first four series, quarterback Justin Fields was two for four passing with one yard and three sacks taken.

The offensive fireworks died down in the second quarter. After four straight drives that ended in points, these teams combined for four consecutive punts.

Gang Green finally converted its first third-down attempt of the game with 2:32 remaining in the second quarter. Despite being stopped on their next third down, the Jets faked a punt and picked up a fresh set of downs with one minute left in the half. With the clock running, the Jets could have attempted a Hail Mary before the break. However, they failed to get off a play before time ran out in the second quarter, even though the offense got lined up with roughly ten seconds left on the running clock, sending this one to halftime. New York’s 32 first-half total yards of offense were the fewest by any team this season.

The Jets’ first possession of the third quarter went well. They picked up three first downs before the series stalled at Denver’s 20. From there, New York managed to kick a 38-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-9 in favor of the Broncos. On that drive, the Jets surpassed their offensive yardage total from the first half.

Following a quick three-and-out, the Jets got the ball back on their own 42 with a chance to retake the lead. Justin Fields executed a perfect quarterback sneak on a 3rd and short to get the ball onto Denver’s side of the field. Unfortunately for Jets fans, the drive died out on Gang Green’s next third-down attempt, which resulted in a punt that was downed at the Broncos’ three yard line.

New York took the lead on the very next play. Denver offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz was flagged for an offensive holding penalty in the Broncos’ end zone. By rule, that gave the Jets a two-point safety to put them ahead 11-10. To add insult to injury, the Broncos had to punt the ball to Gang Green, but they failed to do anything with that extra possession, so Denver got the ball back at its own 18.

On New York’s next series, they almost made a huge mistake when wide receiver Garrett Wilson was stripped of the football, and Denver scooped up the loose fumble. However, replay review helped the referees determine that the play was just an incompletion rather than a catch-and-fumble, which led to the call being reversed. The drive was derailed, though, after Denver recorded its sixth sack of the day to close out the third quarter.

Even though New York was completely outplayed in the first half, they looked much better in the third quarter. They managed to hold the Broncos to just nine total yards of offense, 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 left in the game. 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, wideout Marvin Mims took a short pass to New York’s 34 yard line on a 3rd and 8. The drive might have died out at the Jets’ nine, but Denver hit a short field goal to retake the lead 13-11 with under six minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

New York wouldn’t be able to put together 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 that takedown, Nik Bonitto moved into sole possession of first place as the league’s leader in sacks with eight on the 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 remaining in the game. A bad snap was picked up by running back Breece Hall to get the ball to midfield at the two-minute warning. Gang Green made it to 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 brought down in the backfield to give Denver the victory.

With that win, the Broncos took sole possession of first place in the AFC West, ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers, who play later today.

*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*