Broncos survive scare to beat Jets in London

Denver's Nate Adkins claimed his first touchdown of the season

The Denver Broncos produced an "almost impossible" defensive display to escape with a 13-11 victory against the New York Jets in London - leaving Aaron Glenn's team as the only winless side in the NFL.

Denver last week got the better of Super Bowl champions Philadelphia, who went into that game as one of only two teams still unbeaten.

Yet on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the team tipped as potential Super Bowl contenders could only labour to victory in front of 61,155 fans in the second of this year's three London games.

Nate Adkins claimed the game's only touchdown at the end of the first quarter, helping the Broncos to a 10-6 lead at half-time.

Defences then dominated in a nail-biting second half, which saw the Jets edge in front with their third field goal and a safety.

Denver's second field goal put them back in front with five minutes remaining, before their defence stepped up in the closing stages.

The Jets were struggling to get within range to attempt a potential game-winning field goal with just over a minute remaining and went for broke on 4th & 8.

But they failed to earn first down as quarterback Justin Fields was sacked for the ninth and final time - he had as many sacks as pass completions - allowing the Broncos to improve their record to 4-2 while the Jets are now 0-6.

"[Our defence] turned it on," said Denver quarterback Bo Nix. "Nine sacks is a lot of sacks. It's almost impossible what they did. They're an awful defence to play against, I know that from practice, so I'm not shocked."

Why defence makes Broncos Super Bowl hopefuls

Justin Fields' helmet came off as he was sacked by Jonathon Cooper for a second time

So far this season Denver's offence has been efficient rather than exciting. It is their defence that has truly impressed.

They came into Sunday's game with 21 sacks (the most in the NFL), having conceded an average of 16.8 points per game (second fewest), and they gave Fields a torrid time at Tottenham.

The Jets were restricted to just 32 yards on offence in the first half and their opening first down did not come until a minute before half-time.

The Jets finally got some offence going to claim a field goal at the start of the third quarter but then had to punt on their next five possessions, before being forced to turn the ball over on downs on the decisive drive.

The Broncos sacked Fields twice on that drive, giving them nine sacks overall - the team's most in one game since 1996. The fact they were spread across eight players shows the threat Denver's defence possesses.

Linebacker Jonathon Cooper finished with two sacks and three quarterback hits while cornerback Pat Surtain II, last season's Defensive Player of the Year, frustrated Jets receiver Garrett Wilson and broke up two passes.

"It was honestly pretty crazy," said Surtain. "It was like I was sitting back watching, like a fan. I'm covering [the receiver], it's barely one or two seconds, I look up and there's a sack. It's a pleasure to be a part of."

In the NFL they say defence wins championships, so that bodes well for the Broncos as they aim to stop the Kansas City Chiefs topping the AFC West division for a 10th straight year.

How Jets' concerns shifted from defence

The Jets' defence restricted JK Dobbins to 40 rushing yards from 14 carries

The Jets' defence looked set to struggle against Denver's run game. Broncos running back JK Dobbins came in fifth in the league for rushing yards (402) while the Jets had conceded an average of 31.4 points (second most) and 140 rushing yards per game (sixth most).

The Jets also became the first team not to claim a single takeaway in their first five games of the season, since the NFL began tracking turnovers in 1933.

But it was the Jets' defence and special teams unit that stepped up at Tottenham, accounting for eight of their 11 points.

They ended their turnover drought with a fumble recovery on the game's very first drive before making a 72-yard kick-off return, which set up two field goals.

The Jets then forced Denver to punt on five of their next six possessions and earned a safety on the other, before the Broncos could finally do some damage on the ground to earn what proved to be the game-winning field goal.

It is testimony to the Jets' defence that they almost won despite earning just 82 yards on offence and -10 passing yards, as they lost 55 yards as a result of the nine sacks. It was their offensive line that was found wanting on this occasion.

New head coach Glenn is getting close to his first win. Four of the Jets' six defeats have been one-score games. But he needs some semblance of an all-round team performance if they are to finally get over the hump.

Glenn said that, in certain moments, Fields should have released the ball sooner.

"This is probably our best game on defence, but our passing game was non-existent," Glenn said. "When you have a team that pressures that much and plays that much man coverage, sometimes you've just got to give your guys a chance to win a one-on-one.

"It's tough being close. That's been something we talk about, how we finish. So we've got to keep building on the positives that we've shown and keep working."