Melvin Gordon ran in for two touchdowns as Denver Broncos won the battle of previously winless teams with a 37-28 victory at MetLife Stadium.
Gordon had 107 yards on the ground and the touchdown that sealed the win, but it was kicker Brandon McManus who landed the go-ahead 53-yard field goal with just over three minutes remaining to repel the Jets' unlikely comeback.
McManus' 57-yard field goal at the end of the third quarter had put Denver 27-16 in front but two Sam Ficken field goals, either side of two interceptions - one of which Pierre Desir ran in for a touchdown - had the Jets 28-27 in front and staring at a first win with 6:23 left on the clock.
However, it was the Broncos who claimed the victory as Brett Rypien and Tim Patrick made two big connections to set up McManus' 53-yarder and after the Jets were forced to turn over on downs, Gordon had his second touchdown of the evening and the win was Denver's.
- Broncos stats: Brett Rypien, 19/31, 242 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INT
- Rushing leader: Melvin Gordon, 23 carries, 107 yards, 2 TDs
- Receiving leader: Tim Patrick, six catches, 113 yards, 1 TD
Rypien passed for two touchdowns in his first NFL start, but was also intercepted three times, as he completed 19 of 31 passes for 242 yards while becoming the third quarterback to start a game for the Broncos this season
Gordon rushed for 107 yards to go with his two touchdowns while Jerry Jeudy (two catches, 61 yards) and Patrick (six catches, 113 yards) caught scoring passes.
Bradley Chubb had 2.5 sacks for the Broncos (1-3) but it wasn't all good news as their tough run of injury luck continued with tight end Noah Fant and wide receiver KJ Hamler joining the list of absentees.
Hamler left the game in the first half with a hamstring injury and Fant was carted off the field with an ankle injury with six minutes to play in the third quarter.
Defeat means the Jets have lost their opening four games in both of Adam Gase's seasons, and as their search for a win goes on the pressure builds on the 42-year-old.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport had earlier on Thursday played down suggestions that Gase's job hinged on the result, with the development of Sam Darnold ownership's priority and a third head coach in as many years is unlikely to help that.
- Jets stats: Sam Darnold, 23/42, 230 yards
- Rushing leader: Sam Darnold, 6 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving leader: Jamison Crowder, seven catches, 104 yards
Darnold connected on 23 of 42 passes for 230 yards and also had a career-long 46-yard touchdown run as part of a career-high 84 rushing yards for the Jets, while Jamison Crowder's 107-yard showing was the young quarterback's main outlet.
Darnold, in his third year with the Jets, was sacked six times and briefly left the game in the first quarter with a shoulder injury after being slammed hard to the ground on a sack by Alexander Johnson, before returning three minutes into the second quarter.
Gase can take some solace from his team's battling qualities as they stormed back. Desir's two intercepted passes, returning one for a score, and a third from Brian Poole saw the defence deliver, while kicker Ficken landed a career-best five field goals.
New York's final throw of the dice ended on their first possession following McManus' third field goal. Chubb sacked Darnold on fourth-and-3 from midfield at the two-minute warning, and Gordon claimed a 43-yard scoring run on the next play to finish the game.
Denver will now await news on Fant and Hamler. Already on the injured list in Denver are starting quarterback, starting receiver and running back.
Linebacker Von Miller (ankle), defensive tackle Jurrell Casey (biceps) and cornerback A.J. Bouye (shoulder) were also on a list that featured 11 players entering Thursday night and Fant looks the primary concern going forward.
Coverage of Week Four continues on Sky Sports NFL from 5pm on Sunday, featuring Browns @ Cowboys, Patriots @ Chiefs and Eagles @ 49ers, while all the touchdowns from every game can be seen on NFL Redzone on Sky Sports Mix from 6pm