Broncos-Jets Instant Reactions: Denver’s defense bails out the offense

LONDON — The Denver Broncos‘ squeezed out a last-second win over the New York Jets on Sunday overseas.

On one side of the ball it was beautiful. On the other side it was nearly as ugly as it gets.

But the team heads back to Denver 4-2 on top of the AFC West.

Here’s what stood out throughout the game.

Offensive offense

The Broncos’ offense appeared to pick up right where they left off last week in their miraculous comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last week.

In the first quarter, Nix went 11-for-13 for 101 passing yards, a touchdown and a 124.7 passer rating.

Outside of that stat line from Nix, the Broncos’ offense was nowhere to be found.

After scoring 10 points in the first quarter, Denver’s offense didn’t score for countless possessions in a row.

At one point in the third quarter, Sean Payton called a fullback run on 3rd-and-10.

Nix didn’t have a single completion in the second half until 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Dominant defense

Denver’s defense came out of the tunnels firing on all cylinders. The Broncos’ defense made a bad Jets offense look even worse.

With 7:45 left in the second quarter, the Jets had one yard of offense. A single yard.

At halftime, the Jets had six points on the board. But Denver’s defense wasn’t responsible for any of them. Also at halftime, the Jets had two total passing yards. Two.

Denver’s defense wasn’t as good in the second half, allowing the Jets to kick a field goal to start the third quarter. But they still dominated.

Justin Field was sacked a whopping seven times, including two half sacks from Nik Bonitto.

SACK 💪

📺: @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/E7jELOX8bJ

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 12, 2025

Denver’s defense ended the game with a crucial sack on fourth down to have a total of nine on the day.

Once again, Broncos are their own worst enemy

New week, same Broncos. New country, same Broncos. In a positive and negative way.

In London, the Broncos were once again their own biggest opponent. Troy Franklin‘s fumble on the first drive handed the Jets three points. Then Denver’s special teams allowed a 72-yard kickoff return due to poor tackling by the Broncos. That led to three more points for the Jets.

Numerous penalties once again derailed and ended Broncos’ offensive drives. But the worst penalty literally gave the Jets points.

Midway through the third quarter, Quinn Meinerz was called for holding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety and gave the Jets the 11-10 lead.

The Broncos were clearly the better team on Sunday. But their own mistakes made the game way closer than it needed to be.