Elway Calls the Shots, Throws a Few at Jets : AFC: He connects with Marshall for 80-yard touchdown play in Broncos’ 27-16 victory.

John Elway got to call his plays for the first time this season and came up with some good ones.

Elway hooked up with rookie Arthur Marshall for an 80-yard touchdown pass play and connected with Marshall for 24 yards to set up another score in the fourth quarter Sunday as the Denver Broncos got past the New York Jets, 27-16.

“John really did a good job of calling plays and mixing them up,” Coach Dan Reeves said. “The important thing is, he’s calling plays he’s comfortable with, calling plays he has confidence in.”

Elway also called plays early last season, but the experiment ended midway through the season.

Elway, who said the switch in responsibility was Reeves’ idea, agreed to the change after looking at the game plan.

“On Friday I said I’d give it a shot,” Elway said. “My thought process was to throw on first downs, throw for first downs, keep the defense off balance. I wanted to be aggressive right from the start.”

Denver (6-3), which won at home for the eighth consecutive time and boosted its record over AFC East teams to 18-2-1 at Mile High Stadium since 1969, had a 20-6 lead in the third quarter when Browning Nagle got the Jets (2-7) close with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Rob Moore.

The Jets converted Brian Washington’s interception into a 36-yard field goal by Cary Blanchard, his third of the game, to cut Denver’s lead to 20-16 early in the final quarter.

Not two minutes later, Shannon Sharpe fumbled after a nine-yard pass from Elway, giving the Jets possession at the Denver 47.

Two plays later, however, Denver cornerback Le-Lo Lang stripped the ball from Freeman McNeil and recovered at midfield.

The Broncos converted that miscue into Greg Lewis’ one-yard touchdown run with 6:54 left after Elway’s 24-yard pass to Marshall.

The Broncos went ahead, 3-0, late in the first quarter on David Treadwell’s 37-yard field goal, which followed 11-yard passes from Elway to Michael Young and Vance Johnson.

The Jets tied the score on Cary Blanchard’s 27-yard field goal early in the second quarter.