The Good, Bad, & Ugly from Broncos' 13-11 Win Over Jets

The Denver Broncos survived a surprisingly close battle with the New York Jets in London, squeaking out a 13-11 victory. A win is a win in the NFL, but there are some glaring issues with the Broncos that better opponents than the 0-6 Jets will look to fully exploit.

Unfortunately, even though it was a win, there was more bad and ugly than good to discuss, but we’ll start with the defensive masterclass put on by the Broncos.

The Good: Suffocating Defense

Denver’s offense and special teams failed to show in London, but the defense played lights out despite the enormous amount of time it was on the field. The Jets finished the game with -10 passing yards, with only nine completions and 92 rushing yards for a grand total of 82 yards of offense.

The pass-rush-happy Broncos notched nine sacks with eight different defenders getting in on the action. Jonathon Cooper led with two sacks, the last of which closed out the game. Safety Talanoa Hufanga proved yet again that he was well worth the money Denver gave him in free agency, as he had a key pass breakup against Garrett Wilson on the Jets' final drive and sacked Fields once.

Even with Sean Payton at the helm, this team’s identity is firmly defensive.

The Bad: Offensive Ineptitude

Bo Nix and the Broncos' offense have failed to take the next step needed to be taken seriously. The first half was solid for Nix, who had 125 yards and a touchdown, but fell off a cliff in the second half with only 49 yards passing.

The Broncos' run game couldn’t get anything going, only gaining 63 yards as a team with J.K. Dobbins carrying the rock 14 times for 40 yards. The play-calling didn’t do the players any favors, as this was easily Payton’s worst-called game this year.

Late in the game, Payton called a play with only two receivers running routes on the same side of the field, which were predictably covered, leaving Nix with no choice but to eat a sack. With a young quarterback and an offensive-minded head coach, the Broncos seem hard-pressed to move the sticks, let alone put points on the board.

The Ugly: Special Teams & Yellow Laundry