Video: Nathaniel Hackett Given Game Ball After Jets' Win vs. Sean Payton, Broncos

New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was given a game ball in the locker room after the team's 31-21 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Hackett spent last season coaching the Broncos before he was fired after 15 games, leading to the hire of former Super Bowl winner Sean Payton as his replacement.

Payton openly criticized the tenure of his predecessor, and the Jets used his comments as bulletin-board material prior to Sunday's game.

"It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL," he said back in July (via USA Today's Jarrett Bell) "That's how bad it was."

While Payton ultimately walked back his comments, they still didn't sit right with many in New York's locker room.

Jets starting center Connor McGovern voiced support for his offensive coordinator earlier this week, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.

"He's a phenomenal coach, crazy smart, and he makes meetings really fun and easy to learn. So, he's definitely a guy that you want to play hard for," McGovern said. "Then to go to a place that was dogging a guy that's so nice and so good at his job, and for him to get thrown under the bus and dragged through the mud, you definitely want to play that much harder."

New York rallied around its offensive coordinator, as its performance on Sunday was the first time they've crossed the 30-point threshold all season. Running back Breece Hall tallied a career-high 177 yards on 22 carries, while the offense as a whole finished the day with 407 total yards.

The Jets, now 2-3, will host the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles next week. Kickoff will be at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Broncos will travel to Arrowhead Stadium to match up against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football starting at 8:15 p.m. ET.