The Denver Broncos defeated the New York Jets in London Sunday, but it was an ugly victory.
“It doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said postgame.
“We had a number of errors,” he added. “There will be a lot of us that want to clean some stuff up.”
The Denver defense held the Jets to just 82 total net yards, but the Broncos were losing up until five minutes remaining.
Denver also converted just 5 of 15 third-down attempts and committed six penalties that contributed to several stalled drives.
“Trouble part of it is that was a point of emphasis going into this game, so we have to look at ourselves,” Payton said.
Denver Broncos Turned it On When it Mattered
Bo Nix completed 19 of 30 passes for 174 yards and led Denver on a 12-play, 65-yard drive capped by Wil Lutz’s 27-yard field goal with just over five minutes remaining.
Despite their offensive struggles, the Jets still had a chance to drive for a potential game-winning score.
However, on fourth-and-8 from the Denver 44, Justin Fields was sacked by Jonathon Cooper and Justin Strnad after head coach Aaron Glenn chose to go for it instead of attempting a long field goal with Nick Folk, who had been perfect on the day (3-for-3).
The Broncos sacked Fields nine times in route to a 13-11 victory. And with the win, Denver improved to 4-2 after last week’s victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, while the Jets fell to 0-6.
“We talked about even the Lions, when (Glenn) was there, and (Dan) Campbell had a similar start to a season, and then it flipped. There’s will flip at some point, you just hope to get through it,” Payton said of Glenn starting his career 0-6.
Only four teams in the Super Bowl-era finished the season winless.
GettyLONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 12: New York Jets supporters before the NFL 2025 game between Denver Broncos and New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 12, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images)
Sean Payton In Favor of International Games and Team Traveling Together
This victory also completes a long road trip for the Broncos, who left for London right after defeating the then-undefeated Eagles. The game was played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“I think we travel well,” Payton said. “It’s a beautiful stadium. I’ve never seen it before.”
Payton added that there is an “ambiance noise” inside the stadium, which can lead to miscommunication, but he thought Nix and the offense did a good job with the cadence.
Payton said he is in favor of more international games because of the time the team spends bonding. “One of the things I’ve found, is bringing a team on the road for a period of time is beneficial,” he said.
Payton discussed his time as New Orleans Saints coach and dealing with the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“Three different times, we’d spend a week somewhere else, and I always thought our team was better for it,” he said.
“I like traveling the team. They’re around each other and I think it’s a positive.”
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