The Denver Broncos got a win in London against the New York Jets, but it wasn't pretty at all. After making an epic come-from-behind win against the Eagles last week, the Broncos flirted on the edge of disaster against New York.
But, a win's a win. The Broncos are 4-2, with plenty to reflect on after a close call like that. The defense stepped up big, while the offense was almost completely non-existent in the second half.
Who were the biggest winners and losers in the Broncos' close call against the Jets? We're calling out both players and coaches in this week's very mixed bag of reactions.
Sean Payton leads Broncos losers in close Week 6 win against the Jets
Broncos winner: Pass rush
The Denver Broncos sacked Justin Fields a whopping nine times in this game against the Jets. With 55 yards in sacks on the day, the Broncos actually held the Jets to -10 net passing yards in a game in which Justin Fields had as many completions (9) as sacks taken.
It was an absolutely remarkable performance by the pass rush, which saw a number of different players get involved. It was like Oprah Winfrey was out there saying, "You get a sack! You get a sack! You get a sack!"
The biggest stars came through, as well as some role players for the Broncos in this one. They had at least one sack from every level of the defense, and the one with the best timing came on the Jets' comeback attempt late from Jonathon Cooper. Cooper's 4th-down sack of Fields ended the game, essentially, getting the Broncos to 4-2. You've got to tip your cap to this unit for the way they dominated after racking up six sacks the week prior.
They are gunning for the all-time NFL record of 72, which has held since 1984.
Broncos loser: Sean Payton, head coach
I don't know where to begin in this game from Sean Payton, but let's start with second-half play-calling and personnel groupings. After the first half, you sort of assumed the Broncos' offense would figure out a way to pull away in the second half. Bo Nix looked dialed in for the entire first half, and Sean Payton drew up a great play to get Nate Adkins open for a touchdown.
And we're talking wide open.
But in the second half, Payton was force-feeding the ball to Jaleel McLaughlin and Adam Prentice. McLaughlin was the target of one of just three pass attempts by Bo Nix in the third quarter. Prentice got the ball on a draw up the middle on 3rd-and-10.
Payton's decision to draw up a long-developing pass play with the Broncos backed up deep in their own territory resulted in a safety. It was a horrendous game for Payton, who nearly cost his team the game.
Broncos loser: Darren Rizzi, special teams coordinator
It feels like the Broncos are good for at least one horrendous mistake on special teams each week, but this week felt like another comedy of errors by the special teams. In a game where the defense was absolutely dominant, it was thanks largely to Darren Rizzi's special teams that the Jets were able to stay in the game as long as they did.
The Jets had multiple long kickoff returns in this game while the Broncos had some bad breakdowns in their coverage. We also saw a really rough performance in this one from All-Pro return man Marvin Mims Jr., but more on that later.
The Jets were also able to convert a fake punt on 4th-and-short in the 1st half.
I and many others expected a lot more out of Rizzi this year considering the reputation that preceded him when he came over from the Saints. So far, he's been a massive letdown.
Broncos winner: Evan Engram, TE
There's nothing wrong with the fact that Evan Engram led the team in receiving for the Broncos this week, but the team left some meat on the bone, for sure. He led the team in receiving, but it was just 42 yards in total.
The offense had a disappearing act to forget in the second half. Engram's strong start in this game was notable, because it was obvious the team was following up on his big-time performance against the Eagles in the second half last week.
Engram once again made some tough catches, a clutch play on fourth down, and even got the ball handed to him on a jet sweep type of play. He's found a bit of a stride the past two games, and it's great to see.
Broncos loser: Matt Peart, left guard
I'm sure nobody thought it would take this long for Matt Peart to come up, but better late than never.
The Broncos lost starting left guard Ben Powers to a long-term biceps injury, and Peart was tabbed to replace him. Considering Peart worked at left guard in the offseason program, some (present company included) felt like Peart would be able to step in and do a good job.
He did not.
Peart was arguably the biggest reason why the Broncos' offense struggled in the first half to put more points on the board than they did, with three penalties called on him and a bad missed assignment that led to pressure right in Bo Nix's face. It was a forgettable day at the "office" for Peart, who was starting his first game of the year, to be fair.
Even with that in mind, it was a horrendous effort and the Broncos might have to make another change there. At the very least, they need to keep him on a shorter leash next week.
Broncos loser: Marvin Mims Jr., WR/Return Man
It's probably not going to amount to anything, but we're filing this away as one of the worst games we've seen from Marvin Mims Jr. in three seasons as a return specialist. Mims had just 11 yards on two punt returns in this game, and had a number of other questionable decisions in the punt return and kickoff return department.
He called for a fair catch on one punt return where nobody was within 15 yards of him. He allowed another punt to sail over his head that was downed by the Jets inside the five, and led to a safety by the Broncos' offense. He caught a kickoff return while running backward to catch it instead of letting it go into the end zone for a touchback. That particular play resulted in a bad kickoff return and 10 yards of field position lost.
Broncos winner: Talanoa Hufanga, SAF
On a day in which the Broncos had nine sacks as a team, and the defense dominated as a whole, Talanoa Hufanga stood out in a big way.
Even playing through an injury in this one, Hufanga had a sack on a perfectly timed blitz, he had a great pass breakup on a perfect hit of Garrett Wilson, and a pair of tackles for loss.
He had another play this week that he blew up behind the line of scrimmage that was very close to being a turnover forced. Hufanga has been outstanding since coming to Denver and is playing like his former All-Pro self.