The Broncos scored the first touchdown of Sunday’s game in London on the final play of the first quarter.
Quarterback Bo Nix hit a wide-open tight end Nate Adkins for a 16-yard touchdown. Wil Lutz’s extra point put the Broncos up 10-7 heading into the second quarter.
Nix is off to a strong start against the Jets defense. He’s 11-of-13 for 101 yards and also had an 11-yard run during the touchdown drive. That run set up a fourth down near midfield that the Broncos converted with a pass to tight end Evan Engram.
The Jets opened the scoring by turning their first defensive takeaway of the season into a field goal. They got another thanks to a short field from a long Kene Nwangwu kickoff return, but they’ll need some touchdowns to find their way to their first win of the year.
The Jets became the first team to go without a defensive takeaway through five games since turnovers became a statistic in 1933, but the streak won’t get to six.
Cornerback Jarvis Brownlee poked the ball out of Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin’s hands on the opening drive of Sunday’s game in London. Safety Andre Cisco fell on the ball and the Jets took over in Broncos territory.
A false start pushed them back five yards, but a pair of Justin Fields runs got the Jets in range for a 52-yard Nick Folk field goal try.
Folk hit the kick and the Jets lead 3-0 with 11 minutes left to play in the first quarter.
Cornerback Brandon Stephens will play for the Jets on Sunday.
Stephens was added to the team’s injury report on Friday after being limited in practice with a neck injury. Stephens, who has started all five games, avoided the inactive list and will play in London against the Broncos.
The Jets ruled cornerback Michael Carter (concussion) and wide receiver Allen Lazard (personal) out on Friday. Neither player made the trip to London.
Defensive end Tyler Baron, running back Khalil Herbert, defensive tackle Leonard Taylor, tight end Jelani Woods, and tackle Esa Pole are inactive.
The Broncos’ only questionable player was defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, who was on injured reserve with a calf injury. Roach was activated on Saturday and is in the lineup on Sunday.
Running back Tyler Badie, linebacker Jonah Elliss, tackle Frank Crum, defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, defensive lineman Sai’Vion Jones, and quarterback Sam Ehlinger will not play for Denver.
The Chargers have gone from sitting pretty at 3-0 to slipping and falling to 3-2. And they’ve lost their top two running backs — Najee Harris (Achilles) for the year and Omarion Hampton (ankle) for at least four games.
As a result, the Chargers are in the market for help at the position.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Chargers have been calling teams in search of available running backs. They’re looking for whatever they can get — depth or a starter.
For now, Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal will carry the load.
The most obvious candidates would be veteran Saints running back Alvin Kamara and fourth-year Jets tailback Breece Hall.
Then there’s Derrick Henry. If the Ravens, who have a pipeline to the Chargers via the presence of former Baltimore exec Joe Hortiz as G.M. and the Harbaugh connection at coach, are ready to fold the tents on 2025, the Ravens could choose get value for Henry and pivot to Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell.
It’s hard to imagine the Ravens shifting into fire-sale mode. But a loss on Sunday to the Rams would drop Baltimore to 1-5. The Ravens are off in Week 7, before facing the Bears and Dolphins. If things don’t turn around, they’ll need to consider all options.
Of course, the Chargers have a more immediate need. They may not want to wait another three weeks to see whether the Ravens would be willing to move Henry. But whether it’s the Chargers or some other contender, it makes sense to keep a potential Henry trade on the radar screen, unless and until the Ravens shows signs of reversing their current trend of losing.
The Jets are the first NFL team since turnovers were first tracked in 1933 to start the season by going five games without forcing one.
Hooray?
Another turnover-free game on Sunday morning against the Broncos in London would match the 2018 49ers as the only team to ever go six games in a row without making a turnover happen.
With the goal of getting a turnover, and even more importantly a win, the Jets’ defense held a players-only meeting before they boarded a plane for England.
Via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson revealed that the get-together happened during a Friday media session.
“Everybody was on the same page,” Johnson said, per Cimini. “We have to be better. We can’t be the reason we lose. That can’t happen. We have too much talent.
“Coach [Aaron Glenn] has had our back as far as how he runs this thing, instilling a certain culture in here. We have to have his back by putting a good product out there. That’s our job. We definitely take full accountability.”
Johnson is expected to return to the lineup on Sunday after missing three games with an ankle injury.
Earlier in the week, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams put the blame for the team’s winless start squarely on the defense.
“We’re 0-5 and the defense has been the problem, the reason why we’re 0-5,” Williams said, per Cimini, adding that the Jets have “probably the worst defense in the league.”
No one is pointing fingers, just thumbs. Including defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
“Everything is on me,” Wilks said this week, via Cimini.
During last week’s loss to the Cowboys, with a 37-22 outcome that looked far more respectable than the lopsided 30-3 margin late in the third quarter, a vibe began to emerge that Glenn could be one-and-done with the Jets. While that’s not likely the case, a win would help. Especially in London, where owner Woody Johnson served as the U.S. ambassador in the first Trump administration.
Last year, a loss to the Vikings in London sparked the firing of coach Robert Saleh. This year, it would drop the Jets to 0-6.
The good news is that a pair of objectively winnable games are looming, at home against the Panthers and at Cincinnati. A win in either or both becomes critical to avoid entering the bye at 0-8.
