EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When the rain finally ran out Sunday, the Broncos offense found some life.
Denver head coach Sean Payton said he thought the steady precipitation caught both teams by surprise.
“I don’t know that either team expected the weather to impact the game like it did that much in the first half,” Payton said after the Broncos’ 10-9 win at MetLife Stadium after a day-plus of near-constant drizzle and rain.
Quarterback Bo Nix, who regularly seemed to fight his grip on the football early in the game, agreed.
“Yeah, when it rains like that for that long period of time, it’s hard to kind of, I guess, get new, dry footballs out there,” the rookie said after Denver’s 10-9 win. “But that’s how it’s going to be. They were having to do the same thing. Usually, these weather games turn into run-the-football games and that’s what we did in the second half.
“It worked in our favor and we didn’t turn the ball over.”
In the first half, Nix fought the slick on the ball and repeatedly went for fresh towels on the sideline between drives. He threw 15 passes in the first half and completed seven but for minus-7 yards. In the second half the offense didn’t light the world on fire, but an 87-yard touchdown drive was enough to get the Broncos over the finish line.
“You had to pay attention to the game and you’d say the weather was a factor with the balls, but we’ll look at the tape and try to improve on that,” Payton said. “… We finally got some dry weather. There’s certain things you’re not going to call but I felt like (eventually) it settled down.”
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