Well, that was an ugly one.
In the end, the Broncos survive and avoid being upset by the Jets, mostly due to their defense. It was an awful mix of poor play, penalties, turnovers, bad special teams play, Matt Peart, and just overall bad play by the offense. Thankfully, the Broncos’ defense remains legit and dominated this one and helped the Broncos advance to 4-2.
With all that said, here are your winners and losers from the Broncos’ 13-11 victory over the Jets.
WINNER - Broncos defense/Jonathon Cooper
The Jets had -10 passing yards
The Broncos’ defense had 9 sacks
The Broncos’ defense limited the Jets to 82 total yards and just 8 first downs.
They absolutely dominated this game and single-handedly carried the Broncos to a victory. Jonathon Cooper dominated the entire game and had 2 sacks, Justin Strnad had 1.5 sacks, and Hufanga, Bonitto, Uwazurike, JFM, and Zach Allen all had sacks.
Pat Surtain II held Garrett Wilson to 3 receptions for 13 yards,
Vance Joseph’s unit continued to dominate, and they remain the top defense in the NFL right now.
LOSER - Broncos entire offense
They started out hot and put up a quick 10 points, but it was all downhill after that.
Bo Nix struggled in the second half, Troy Franklin fumbled on the opening drive, and the Broncos had just 78 yards rushing. For the first time this year, the offense could not run the ball consistently, and it really impacted the offense today.
This offense has been inconsistent all season, and that carried over into this one. There was some questionable play-calling and penalties erased multiple big plays and took points off the board. This offense needs to get it together if they want to compete against the top teams in the NFL.
LOSER - Broncos special teams
Whether it was giving up long returns, giving up a punt fake even though the coaches saw it coming, or not getting good yards on their returns, it was a struggle for this unit.
The Broncos lost the field position, and their special teams were a big reason for that. The Jets struggled to move the ball on offense, but the Broncos’ special teams woes set them up with good field position all game.
LOSER - Matt Peart
This was the Broncos’ first game playing without Ben Powers at left guard, and it did not go well. Matt Peart got the start and struggled throughout. He was giving up pressure all game and was penalized multiple times and erasing productive gains by the Broncos offense.
If this continues, you have to look at other options. Reserve Alex Palczewski should get a look, as well as guard Calvin Throckmorton. If not, the Broncos could be in the market for an offensive lineman prior to the trade deadline.
WINNER - Evan Engram
Engram came alive for the second straight week and was the Broncos’ top pass catcher today vs. the Jets. He converted multiple third downs and finished the game with 5 receptions for 42 yards. Engram was one of the lone bright spots on the offensive side of the ball for the Broncos.
He was signed to be the Broncos ‘Joker’ on offense, and if he can continue to produce like this, he could be a key weapon for them moving forward.
LOSER - Courtland Sutton
Sutton has been the Broncos’ leading playmaker and Bo Nix’s most trusted option these past two seasons, but today, he really struggled. Sutton finished the game with just 1 catch for 17 yards.
Again, the Broncos’ offense struggled badly today, and Sutton being locked up by Sauce Gardner throughout this game did not help. I’d look for him to bounce back next week vs. the Giants at home.
LOSER - Penalties
While 6 penalties for 37 yards may not seem like a lot, the impact of these flags nearly cost the Broncos this game.
These flags erased multiple big plays by the Broncos’ offense and put two points up on the board due to a holding penalty on Quinn Meinerz while Bo Nix was in the end zone.
Sean Payton and the Broncos need to clean up these sloppy and costly mistakes.
Other notable Winners and Losers
K Wil Lutz - WINNER: The Broncos kicker made a 57-yard field goal early while hitting the eventual game-winner in the 4th quarter. He has come up clutch now in back-to-back weeks for the Broncos
P Jeremy Crawshaw - WINNER: The rookie punter boomed 6 punts for 291 yards and averaged 48.5 yards per punt. It was a puntfest, so you have to give the punter some praise.
WR Troy Franklin - LOSER: He fumbled the ball on the opening drive, negating what would have been a first down on 3rd down, and gave the Jets great field position.
S Talanoa Hufanga - WINNER: He was once again making plays all over the field. He had a big sack, multiple pressures, and a key PBU on the final drive.
Broadcast - LOSER: Man, the broadcast for this game was rough. Poor camera work, the announcers had things wrong, and it just made the poor play on the field somehow worse.
Winning - WINNER: It wasn’t pretty, but ugly wins count as much as blowouts. The Broncos are 4-2 and can be at the top of the AFC West if the Dolphins beat the Chargers. They have plenty to work on, but I’ll take an ugly win over a loss each and every week.
NFL Sack lead - WINNER: The Broncos entered this game leading the NFL with 21 sacks, which was 5 more than the next team, and they added 9 more to that total to give them 30 on the year. Nik Bonitto continues to lead the NFL with 8 sacks now.