ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- For much of an abbreviated training camp as well as the Denver Broncos' 0-3 stumble from the gate, linebacker Bradley Chubb has been asked when he would be back.

He's been asked when he would feel like he did before he tore his left ACL in a Week 4 loss last season to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then Thursday night against the New York Jets, almost one year since the injury, Chubb powered a pass rush that helped the Broncos get their first win of the season.

"He's been back," Broncos coach Vic Fangio said. "I don't think he's back to where he was prior to the injury, but we can't forget that this guy is 11 months removed from his ACL surgery. If you talk to anybody who's had that, it takes a little longer before you feel 100 percent. Bradley is fighting through that, some of it is mental. This guy is a warrior and he's going to continue to get better and better."

Chubb had 2.5 sacks against the Jets -- the Broncos had six in the game -- plus five quarterback hits and two more tackles during the 37-28 victory. They were his first sacks since he suffered the injury, and came in a game when he had limped off the field at one point as he continues his recovery.

The Broncos held Chubb out of the final week of training camp because of pain in his surgically repaired knee. Since then, he has -- at times --flashed the form that gave him 12 sacks as a rookie in 2018. And Thursday was his best first-minute-to-last-minute effort of the season.

The total included a fourth-down sack on Jets quarterback Sam Darnold just before the two-minute warning.

"Just all the things I've done up until this point to help the team win and to finally get in the win column after everything just feels amazing," Chubb said. "It's hard to really soak it all in at one time, and it just makes you hungry for the next win. ... I'm looking forward to just stacking these wins and these sacks and just hoping everything else comes. It's going to be good."

The Broncos could use a little good to be sure. They've suffered key injuries on both sides of the ball, starting with Chubb's pass-rushing teammate Von Miller, whose awkward step in a practice days before the opener resulted in an ankle injury that might cost him the season.

An invigorated pass rush that was supposed to feature Miller, a healthy Chubb and newly arrived Jurrell Casey now features Chubb, defensive end Shelby Harris and a rotating cast up front with Miller and Casey on injured reserve as well as defensive ends Dre'Mont Jones and DeMarcus Walker. Chubb had gone three games without a sack before Thursday, and the Broncos have consistently struggled to find the balance between coverage and pressure, a dilemma they will face each week in Miller's absence.

While the Jets have their own list of woes, Chubb still exited Thursday's game hopeful his efforts were a preview of more.

"I feel like I'm going to break out every week," Chubb said. "I feel like it's one of those things, like 'OK, I tore my ACL, but that's in the past.' And now I've got to build on these days and these practices and help this team get more wins. ... It does feel like a bit of a breakout when it comes to the injury and everything, but now that I know that I can do it, it's time to do it."

There were moments Thursday when the Broncos were teetering on the here-we-go-again struggles that come in losing streaks. And when Darnold weaved through the Broncos defense in the first quarter, when he bounced off tackles from two of the Broncos' best defenders to turn a third-and-7 situation into a 46-yard touchdown run, the Broncos were in one of those moments.

But the Broncos limited the Jets to two field goals for the remainder of the first half.

"In the beginning of the week, we just talked about sticking together and when something small like that happens, it's only seven points," Chubb said. "It's not going to kill us at the end of the day. So, we just wanted to make sure we rallied around each other and make sure that it didn't happen again."

Over the next three weeks, the Broncos face Cam Newton and Patrick Mahomes, with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick in between, so their injury-battered roster will be tested again.

"It was good to see [Darnold] rattled back there and have the O-line guessing," Chubb said. "Any time you bring pressure, it opens up lanes for your regular stuff. I feel like it helped us out a lot and it helped us get back there a lot and we caused a lot of havoc. I'm glad that we were able to do that, and hopefully we keep on building on it and get back there to Cam next week."