LONDON (AP) — It seemed every time Patrick Surtain II looked, his Denver Broncos teammates were sacking Justin Fields.
“I was sitting back watching it, being a fan of it,” the star cornerback said. “It was a pleasure to watch."
The Broncos took down Fields nine times, with the final sack sealing an ugly 13-11 victory over the winless New York Jets on Sunday.
Bo Nix threw an early touchdown pass and Wil Lutz kicked a late go-ahead field goal as the Broncos (4-2) won their third in a row.
The victory completed a long road trip for the Broncos, who left for London right after their 21-17 comeback victory over the then-undefeated Eagles in Philadelphia last week. Sunday was beginning to look like the “trap game” that Denver was trying to avoid.
“The most important thing was coming here and getting the win — it didn't matter how it looked,” said linebacker Nik Bonitto, who entered as the NFL's co-leader in sacks and added one to bring his total to eight. “Being able to start 4-2 is a big deal.”
The Broncos found themselves trailing 11-10 after conceding a safety in the third quarter against a Jets team that managed just 82 total net yards on offense.
Nix, who was 19 of 30 for 174 yards, led Denver on a 12-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Lutz's 27-yard field with just over five minutes left.
Despite a horrendous offensive display, the Jets (0-6) still had the ball with a chance to drive for a potential winning score.
But Fields was sacked by Jonathon Cooper and Justin Strnad on fourth-and-8 from the Denver 44 after Aaron Glenn opted to go for it rather than send out Nick Folk for a long field-goal attempt. Folk was 3 for 3 on the day.
Fields struggled all game against Denver's dominant defense, completing nine of 17 passes for just 45 yards. The Jets finished with minus-10 net yards passing, the fewest in franchise history — also the fewest allowed by the Broncos in their history. It was also the fewest in any NFL game since the Chargers had minus-19 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Ryan Leaf’s third career start in 1998.
“Our passing game was non-existent,” Glenn said.
Glenn is still searching for his first victory after last week becoming the first Jets coach to begin his tenure with five losses. The Jets, the league's lone winless team, are now 0-6 for the third time in their history, joining the 2020 and 1996 squads.
The Broncos took a 10-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Nix pump-faked to the flat and then found a wide-open Nate Adkins near the sideline for a 16-yard touchdown. The Broncos had kept the drive alive when Nix hit Evan Engram for an 11-yard gain on a fourth-and-5 from the Jets 47.
Engram led Denver with five receptions for 42 yards.
Broncos coach Sean Payton acknowledged it wasn't pretty. Denver was 5 of 15 on third down and had six penalties that helped stall drives.
“We had a number of errors,” he said. “There will be a lot of us that want to clean some stuff up.”
Sack attack
The Broncos added to their league-leading total by swarming Fields all game. Cooper had two, Strnad had 1 1/2.
The Jets managed just one sack. They have just four in the past five games.
What just happened?
The Jets took an improbable 11-10 lead on a safety in the third quarter after Austin McNamara’s punt pinned the Broncos on their 3.
On first down, Quinn Meinerz was whistled for holding — enforced in the end zone for a safety.
In another unusual scenario, the Jets had let the clock run out at the end of the first half. They moved the ball to their 47 with about 30 seconds left, but on fourth-and-1, let the clock run out. They had no timeouts left but still could have heaved the ball into the end zone.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson appeared agitated as he spoke to Glenn as the team walked to the locker room at halftime.
“I just didn’t know exactly what the plan was," Wilson said. "Once I figured it out, I was disappointed.”
Glenn explained that since the Jets were receiving the kickoff to start the second half, he didn't want to take any chances.
“Once it got to fourth down, I’m not about to sit there and try to get a play off, they get the ball back,” Glenn said. "Give them a chance to kick a field goal, that’s not the smartest thing to do. End the half, get the ball back, see if we get a chance to score.”
The Jets produced just 32 total net yards in the first half — fewest by any NFL team in the first two quarters this season.
Injuries
Broncos: LB Garret Wallow was ruled out early in the fourth quarter.
Jets: Glenn said Wilson played through a hip issue during the game, though Surtain said he noticed Wilson holding his ribs. Wilson also told reporters it wasn't his hip, but declined to provide further details. ... LB Cam Jones and CB Qwan’tez Stiggers also left with hip injuries. ... Edge rusher Will McDonald IV went to locker room in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion, but returned.
Up next
Broncos: More New Yorkers. They host the Giants at Empower Field at Mile High next week. Their bye is Week 12.
Jets: Host the Carolina Panthers next Sunday. Their bye is Week 9.
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