LONDON — The Broncos are heading back to Denver with a pair of wins and their best start to a season in nearly a decade.
Denver capped a two-game road trip with a gritty 13-11 win over the New York Jets to improve to 4-2, which marks the team's best start since 2016.
Led by a dominant defensive performance in which the Broncos allowed fewer than 100 yards and notched nine sacks, Denver battled to earn its third consecutive victory.
The Broncos trailed on three separate occasions in the slugfest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the defensive unit kept Justin Fields and Co. out of the end zone.
Quarterback Bo Nix, meanwhile, got off to a hot start and then led a go-ahead field-goal drive late in the game to add to the Broncos' point total in what became a defensive battle.
As the Broncos dragged Fields to the turf on one final play to create a fourth-down stop, though, they found a way to make just enough plays.
These were the players and plays that led the Broncos to an important win over the Jets.
GAME-CHANGING MOMENT
Trailing entering the fourth quarter for the second consecutive week, a third-down chunk play changed the tenor of the game.
On third-and-8 from the Denver 40-yard line, Nix found Marvin Mims Jr. coming out of the backfield for a wide-open third-down conversion. Mims ran with the ball for 26 yards, creating a big play the Broncos desperately needed. Though Denver did not score a touchdown, the Mims reception set up the go-ahead field goal.
After Denver got the lead, the defense did the rest. On the final two drives, the Jets combined to lose six yards as Denver notched three sacks in nine offensive snaps.
Tight end Evan Engram's fourth-down catch to set up the game's only touchdown deserves an honorable mention, as do Denver's first-half defensive stops when protecting a short field.
DEFINING STATISTIC
-10.
The Broncos' defense was dominant on Sunday, holding the Jets to minus-10 net passing yards. Fields threw for just 45 yards, and he was sacked nine times to lose 55 yards of field position.
Denver's performance marked the fwest passing yards allowed by the team in franchise history, and it was the first time the Broncos have allowed negative passing yards since 1971, according to Pro Football Reference.
The Jets' net passing total was their worst in franchise history and the lowest output in 27 years, according to ESPN.
Through five games, Fields had been sacked just 10 times. Then, the Broncos got to him on nine occasions. On a defensive day, the Broncos' ability to stifle the passing game was critical.
MEMORABLE HIGHLIGHT
We'll give this one to Nate Adkins, who essentially walked into the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown. Using Mims' speed out of the backfield as a decoy, the Broncos set up Adkins to sneak by a defender into the open field. As Jamien Sherwood came up to cover Mims, Adkins was all alone — and it resulted in an easy score. It was a terrific play design, and the Broncos executed it to perfection to get points.
BOX-SCORE STANDOUTS
Jonathon Cooper led the Broncos with two sacks, but Justin Strnad, Nik Bonitto, Talanoa Hufanga, John Franklin-Myers, Zach Allen, Eyioma Uwazurike and Brandon Jones all recorded quarterback takedowns.
Evan Engram led all receivers with five catches for 42 yards, including a crucial fourth-down grab in the first half that led to Denver's only touchdown.
Talanoa Hufanga recorded his first sack since his 2022 first-team All-Pro season and also recorded a key pass breakup on third-and-long to help keep the Jets out of field-goal range and halt their final drive.
