The red-hot New York Jets defeated the Denver Broncos 16-9 at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, improving to 5-2 with their fourth straight victory. The Broncos dropped their fourth straight game and fall to 2-5.
Both offenses started off slowly, but the Jets' Breece Hall ended that with a 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. It was the latest spark from the impressive rookie, but Hall would later go down with a knee injury and was lost for the remainder of the game after getting carted off the field. The Jets reportedly suspect an ACL injury, with coach Robert Saleh saying the diagnosis is "not good."
The Broncos, who started Brett Rypien at quarterback with Russell Wilson injured, responded to Hall's TD with a long drive that ended in a two-yard score from Latavius Murray, but missed the extra point.
The Broncos missed a 56-yard field goal attempt before hitting on a 44-yarder to take a 9-7 lead in the second quarter.
The Jets hit a field goal of their own to regain the lead at the end of the first half. They never trailed the rest of the game, relying on two second-half fifield goals from Greg Zuerlein, as the Jets defense shut down the Broncos completely to seal the win.
A fourth-down stop with less than a minute left in the game made the Jets' victory official.
Why the Jets won
New York won with defense, allowing only one touchdown in the game and not allowing any points in the second half.
The Jets defense added another interception to their stat sheet, their seventh of the year, tying the total number of picks from all of last season. Lamarcus Joyner intercepted Brett Rypien and the Jets turned it into three points.
Hall, before exiting with the knee injury, provided the spark on offense. While the Jets were struggling to record a first down, Hall took the ball 62 yards to the house for their only touchdown.
The Jets only had 10 first downs to the Broncos' 21, but were able to do more with them.
Why the Broncos lost
The Broncos offense struggled from the beginning of the game and could never seem to find enough rhythm to take a significant lead. They only lead once, when they went up 9-7 with 3:37 left in the second quarter, and that lead only lasted until the end of the half. They were unable to score in the second half and struggled while playing from behind.
A missed extra point in the first quarter, after their only touchdown, set the tone for the rest of the game.
The Broncos did not have Russell Wilson, and while the veteran has struggled, he still gives the team a better chance to win and brings more experience. With uncertainty surrounding his status, the Broncos could face a bumpy road ahead.
Turning point
The game was close for its entirety, but the Michael Carter's interception was the point where the scale really tipped towards the Jets.
Play of the game
Breece Hall's 62-yard touchdown is an obvious choice for the play of the game and was the only touchdown from the winning team. The rookie has proven he can make a big impact.
Take a look at the TD:
What's next?
The Jets will host AFC East rival New England Patriots on Oct. 30. The Patriots are 3-3 heading into their Monday night game against the Chicago Bears. The Patriots have owned the Jets in the last two decades, but this season's Jets have a different look.
The Broncos will head to London next week to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are coming off a loss to the New York Giants. The Jags are 2-5.