Jets kickoff returner Kene Nwangwu showed why he is one of the NFL's most dangerous returners, and why the Green & White have sorely missed his talent since he sustained a hamstring injury in Week 1.

After missing four straight games, Nwangwu wasted little time in having an impact in Sunday's 13-11 loss to the Broncos (4-2). After Denver tied the score, 3-3, midway through the first quarter, he returned the kickoff 72 yards to the Broncos' 24-yard line. But the Jets (0-6) failed to pick up a first down and K Nick Folk trotted onto the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium field for a successful 41-yard field goal and a 6-3 lead.

"I think the guys we had excellent blocks locked in all week," Nwangwu said. "So for me, just coming out there, coming back, too, first game out. For me, it's just like, hey, I just want to make my guys look good, make their blocks come to life. And [it] felt like we did that. It's just like how can I find more ways to just be efficient, keep setting up scores.

Since his debut in the NFL with Minnesota after being drafted out of Iowa State in the fourth round (No. 119 overall) in 2021, Nwangwu has notched 4 kickoff returns for TDs on 72 total attempts -- no other player over that span has more than 2 KO returns for scores. Last season, he returned a KO 99 yards for a TD in his debut for the Green & White against Seattle on Dec. 1. In that game he had 3 returns for 155 yards (52.3 yards a return).

"So there are a lot of good things from a defense perspective, from a special teams perspective, that we're going to build on," HC Aaron Glenn said after the game.

As Glenn said, several plays on special teams kept the Jets close against Denver, a team they have now played for six straight seasons.

Overall in the game, Nwangwu, 27, returned 3 KOs for 113 yards (37.7 per), while Isaiah Williams had a pair of returns for 59 yards (29.5 per). Williams also returned 4 punts for 32 yards.

Nwangwu made another sterling play on punt coverage in the second half, which quickly led to the Jets adding 2 points on a safety. Trailing by 10-9 in the third quarter, punter Austin McNamara landed a 42-yard boot inside Denver's 5-yard line and Nwangwu and rookie WR Arian Smith combined to down it at the 3. On the next play, Denver's Quinn Meinerz was flagged for holding Jets DE Micheal Clemons in the end zone for the safety and an 11-10 Jets lead.

"Just different ways how we can win the game with Austin or the gunners, shutting down the returner," Nwangwu said. "Those are the things that we can just keep on piling on, keep on feeding off of from the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Speaking about his return after missing four games, he said: "I mean being away from the game, being away from your brothers, is tough. But you know, just dying to get out there, just be back with your team, be back out there, it was a good experience. I'm just glad that [we] went out there no injuries. And we'll keep on continuing and growing from today."

McNamara also had a good game for the Jets, punting 7 times for a net of 49.1 yards, with a long boot of 58 yards, dropping three punts inside Denver's 20-yard line. It was the fourth-best net average by a Jets punter in a game since 1991.