Bo Nix shuts down talk of Jets being a ‘trap’ game in London

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix downplayed the notion of Sunday's game against the New York Jets being a trap game in London

Oct 8, 2025, 1:08 PM Updated: 1:12 pm

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Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos (3-2) are heavy favorites against the New York Jets (0-5) this Sunday in London, so much so that many people are prematurely writing the Jets off and handing the victory to the Broncos.

To be fair, the Broncos just had one of the best wins of the season in a comeback against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road, while the Jets dropped to 0-5 after failing to move the ball against the Cowboys — who have one of the worst defensive units in the NFL — for the majority of the game. Justin Fields was also sacked five times in the loss, and now has to go up against Nik Bonitto and arguably the best pass rushing unit in the league.

Everything on paper points to a Broncos win, so much so that some are starting to wonder if this is a trap game for the Broncos. Good thing for the Jets that the game isn’t played on paper, it’s played on the grass.

To clarify, a trap game is one in which one team is playing an inferior opponent, but conditions such as game location or injuries could have an impact on the game that could swing things in favor of the inferior squad. There have been plenty of occasions in all sports in which the superior team just overlooks the contest and comes out the gates flat, thus ending up in a close dogfight down the stretch.

BO NIX DOESN’T THINK ANYONE IS A TRAP TEAM

For Nix, he’s not a believer in trap games, especially in a league with as much talent as the NFL boasts.

“I think in the league, quite honestly, it’s a little disrespectful to consider anybody a trap team. They’re an NFL team, and they’re going to have some really good players on their defense, and it’s not really a trap game. I think any game you can walk in and slip up and lose, that’s just the league. If you’re not careful in a way, all of them could be because they’re that good of an opponent,” Nix said after Broncos practice Wednesday in London.

He also acknowledged the fact that the Jets have come close multiple times, as two of their five losses have come in the final 63 seconds of regulation.

“But they’re a good football team; they’ve been close on some games. They were a couple of walk-off plays away from having two or three wins. I definitely think that is something you’ve got to be careful with. This is not a team to just toss around like they’re winless, but I think we will be ready to go. It’s just another game,” Nix said.

PAYTON SHARES THE SAME SENTIMENT

It’s not just Nix who downplayed the idea of a trap game. His head coach, Sean Payton, has seen dozens, possibly hundreds, of so-called trap games throughout his 38-year coaching career. Payton was asked about his thought on the idea after practice as well.

“No. Each week it’s the ability to refocus on the next challenge. I think oftentimes the games are won and lost right here today, tomorrow and Friday. So these guys understand in our league, it’s different than college. We’re not getting a chance to play a I-AA or FCS school. These are all professional teams, and we’ll handle it that way,” Payton said.

The Broncos are favored to win Sunday’s contest in London by a touchdown. They’ve shown that they’re the better team throughout five weeks, but again, the game is played on the grass, and anything can happen on the British grass in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.