Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Denver 17, N.Y. Jets 13
When: 8:20 PM ET, Thursday, November 17, 2011
Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Temperature: 54°
Head Official: Bill Leavy
Attendance: 74746


Tim Tebow capped a 95-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds to play, lifting the Denver Broncos to a stunning 17-13 victory over the visiting New York Jets on Thursday night.

Tebow beat an all-out blitz by the Jets, rolling to his left and sprinting to the end zone on the team's longest drive of the season to give Denver (5-5) its third consecutive - and most improbable - victory

The Broncos had been inept offensively for nearly the entire game, punting on eight consecutive possessions and going three-and-out on seven of them before getting the ball back at their own 5-yard line with 5:54 to play and trailing 13-10.

Tebow completed three passes for 35 yards and carried the ball seven times for 66 yards on the game-winning drive to improve to 4-1 as a starter this season.

Andre Goodman returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown and Matt Prater kicked a 37-yard field goal on the opening possession as the Broncos sent the Jets (5-5) to their second straight defeat and fourth road loss in five games.

Tebow finished 9 of 20 for 104 yards and rushed for 68 yards on eight carries. His counterpart, Mark Sanchez, completed 24 of 40 passes for 252 yards and the costly pick.

Offense was at a premium in the opening 30 minutes. Denver's biggest play came on its first snap, when Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas with a 28-yard pass.

The Jets absorbed a huge blow when running back Shonn Greene went to the locker room with an apparent rib injury late in the first quarter and did not return.

With backup LaDainian Tomlinson inactive due to a knee injury, seldom-used Joe McKnight took over in the backfield and ran for 59 yards on 16 carries.

Sanchez opened the second half by hooking up with Plaxico Burress three times as New York went 80 yards in eight plays to take a 10-3 lead.

Guard Matt Slauson pounced on a fumble by running back Bilal Powell in the end zone for the score.

Denver's defense responded with a huge play when Goodman picked off Sanchez and returned it 26 yards for a score and a 10-10 tie with just under 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Jets cobbled together an 11-play, 42-yard drive capped by Nick Folk's 45-yard field goal for a 13-10 lead with 9:14 to play, and the Broncos seemed to have no answers, having gone three-and-out on four straight possessions.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
N.Y. Jets   Denver
Joe McKnight Player Tim Tebow
16 Attempts 8
59 Yards 68
3.7 Avg Yards 8.5
0 Touchdowns 1
11 Long 20
Receiving
N.Y. Jets   Denver
Plaxico Burress Player Demaryius Thomas
4 Receptions 2
64 Yards 37
16.0 Avg Yards 18.5
0 Touchdowns 0
30 Long 28
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
N.Y. Jets 318 83 235 1 2 0 1.0 1
Denver 229 125 104 2 1 1 3.0 2
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against San Diego. The Broncos have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • N.Y. Jets will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Jets have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.