LONDON — The Broncos had almost no margin for error.
With less than two minutes to play on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Jets held a first-and-10 at the Denver 46-yard line.
At that moment, every yard was precious.
From there, the Jets would've needed a 64-yard field goal to win the football game. But every step forward made a kick — and a resulting Broncos loss — more likely.
Had New York picked up even one more first down, Jets kicker Nick Folk could have lined up a kick of 54 yards or less.
On an afternoon during which Denver's defense had already forced seven punts and didn't allow a first down until the final drive of the first half, the unit faced a tremendous amount of pressure.
And they welcomed it.
"All or nothing, you know?" cornerback Pat Surtain II said. "Back against the wall. We've got to shine in those opportunities, shine on those stages."
Denver did shine. On first down, Justin Strnad got to Justin Fields for Denver's eighth sack of the afternoon. Talanoa Hufanga recorded a physical pass breakup to prevent a potential first-down reception on third-and-8. And on fourth-and-8 from the Denver 44-yard line, the Broncos swarmed Fields one final time as Jonathon Cooper and Brandon Jones combined for the game-winning sack.
It was a fitting end to a dominant defensive performance that shaped Sunday's game.
The Broncos' nine sacks were the most by the franchise since 1996 and the most of any team in a game in London. They allowed just 82 total yards, didn't let New York score a touchdown, held the Jets to field goals on two short-field opportunities and allowed the fewest passing yards (-10) in franchise history.
The 82 total yards were the fewest allowed by the Broncos since 1971 and the fewest allowed by any NFL team in the last two seasons. Denver became the first team since 2021 to record nine sacks and give up fewer than 100 yards, and they allowed the fewest passing yards of any team in nearly 30 years.
"Our defense was outstanding today," Head Coach Sean Payton said.
Quarterback Bo Nix didn't have much time to watch the masterclass while preparing for each of his next series, but he's seen enough in practice to know the challenge Fields and the Jets' offense posed.
"It's almost impossible what they did," Nix said. "They'd be a fun defense to watch, probably an awful defense to play against. ... But they turned it on."
Nik Bonitto added another sack to his NFL lead during the game — and seven other Broncos also recorded sacks.
Through five games, Fields had been sacked 10 times. On Sunday alone, he was sacked nine — and the Broncos allowed just nine completions. It marked the first time since 2021 that a starting quarterback was sacked nine times with nine or fewer completions.
"I love the way we were rushing today," Bonitto said. "Loved the way we were blitzing, how everybody is doing their part on the defense and making plays, and I'm happy we were able to do that."
And on Sunday, they made the biggest plays in the biggest moments.
"It was a defensive team today, and I hope to consider it a defensive team all season," Payton said. "In order to win, that's extremely necessary in our league. They were something."
