Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos gave the New York Jets every opportunity to pull out the win on Sunday afternoon.
But somehow, after two failed drives and a missed field goal at a rainy MetLife Stadium, the Broncos escaped with a win. The Broncos beat the Jets 10-9 on Sunday afternoon despite setting Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers up for a perfect game-winning drive in the final moments. That moved both teams to 2-2 on the season.
The Broncos jumped up by a point after a Wil Lutz field goal midway through the fourth quarter. Rodgers and the Jets had plenty of chances after that to retake the lead and win the game, but every single time they came up short.
First, Rodgers nearly fumbled the ball away while trying to scramble for a first down. He seemed to hit his knee awkwardly as he was brought down for the sack, too, and he moved slowly throughout the rest of the contest. That forced a punt and gave Denver the ball back late in the period.
After a quick 3-and-out, however, the Jets got the ball back with plenty of time to work with. But their next drive lasted just 45 seconds, and Rodgers was sacked for a 10-yard loss on fourth down.
Despite taking over at the Jets’ 35 yard line, the Broncos managed to gain just three yards. So with less than 90 seconds left, Payton opted to try a 50-yard field goal instead of punting to pin the Jets deep. Of course, that field goal attempt missed.
So Rodgers went back out for one last chance at the win, and he nearly got them there. Rodgers got the Jets down the field quickly to get in field goal range. But after an incomplete pass on third down, the Jets had to try for a 50-yard field goal of their own from Greg Zuerlein. That one was also off.
So in the end, the Broncos pulled out the one-point upset win.
Rodgers went 24-of-42 for 225 yards in the loss for the Jets. It was just the fifth time in Rodgers’ career that his offense failed to score a touchdown in a game. Braelon Allen led them on the ground with 34 rushing yards, and Mike Williams had 67 yards on four catches. Allen Lazard, who was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for flashing gun symbols with his hands after a second-half catch, added 58 yards on five completions.
Though they got the win, the Broncos’ offense struggled all day. Quarterback Bo Nix went just 12-of-25 for 60 yards. He had -7 yards in the first half, too, and he completed just five passes in the final 30 minutes of the contest. Nix threw the game’s lone touchdown in the third quarter when he found Courtland Sutton for an 8-yard score. Sutton had 60 yards on three catches. Javonte Williams added 77 yards on the ground, too.
Even though they’re heading back west with now back-to-back wins under their belt, it was as if the Broncos were trying to hand it away on Sunday afternoon. Remarkably, the Jets couldn’t take advantage.