The Jaguars were 2025’s sole franchise able to take down the Broncos in their house in the regular season. Now, Jacksonville looks to spoil Denver’s home opener in Week 2.
Empower Field at Mile High sits 5,280 feet above sea level, posing a major threat to rival clubs who roll into Denver. The elevation coupled with the Broncos faithful make for an unruly environment come kickoff at 4:05 p.m. Sunday.
After dominating in its Week 1 victory against the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville (1-0) faces a familiar opponent. The two squared off on Dec. 21, and the Jaguars came out of Mile High unscathed, posting 346 yards of total offense in the 34-20 win.
Here are three keys to how the Jaguars can replicate their late-season success in Week 2:
Overcome Denver’s secondary star
The Broncos (0-1) boast a tight defense that proved successful in their 2025 campaign. Denver allowed the second-worst completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks (57.8%) and the second-fewest passing yards per attempt (6.1).
Captaining the secondary stands Pat Surtain II. All the cornerback has done in his six-year career is be named 2024 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, have four Pro Bowl appearances and hold three All-Pro spots — first-team in 2022 and 2024 and one second-team in 2025.
Surtain has been a staple in Denver’s secondary throughout the team’s resurgence and has made game-altering plays. He lined up opposite Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy for most of the Broncos’ 31-10 Monday Night Football loss at Kansas City. While Worthy logged just three receptions for 18 yards, there was an opportunity for him to create space against Surtain.
Worthy had the eighth-most separation across Week 1 receivers, averaging 4.2 yards per attempt (NFL NextGenStats). The Texas product also created the third-most cushion yards in the league with 9.2 per attempt. So, while Patrick Mahomes didn’t look in Worthy’s direction too much, the space was there and the Jags should attempt to replicate the concept with weapons of their own.
The Jaguars should expect Surtain to cover Brian Thomas Jr. throughout Sunday’s matchup, but the wideout can still make his mark in Denver. Although, Jacksonville is far from limited on options and will have to rely on everyone as Surtain is no stranger to lining up in various positions in the secondary.
“It’s hard to say this is the one way you attack a guy like that, because there’s so many different ways that they can play him,” offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said Thursday. “We trust our guys to go out there and win, but there is an element of being aware of a player of that caliber regardless of where he lines up.”
Jacksonville has the luxury of multiple play-makers in the wide receiver room, including Parker Washington. In the clubs’ last meeting, Washington added a career-high 145 receiving yards and a touchdown. He opened 2026 with 83 yards and a score, and stacked up to No. 37 in the league with 2.9 yards of separation.
“Whether he was getting the ball as the number two or whether he’s getting the ball as the number one in a progression or he’s in the position he is right now, he’s still running routes as hard as he can, winning on every route, working hard after practice, first guy in the building,” Udinski said.
Embrace the running back room
Denver came into 2026 with a much different run defense than last season. Chiefs tailback Kenneth Walker III tallied a career-high 173 yards in KC’s primetime win, exposing the Broncos’ defensive scheme. Denver held the league’s No. 2 run defense last year, averaging just 91.1 rushing yards per game.
While the Chiefs’ backfield is nearly a one-man show, Jacksonville should use its multi-faceted one to its advantage. Three backs added at least four carries and wideouts Travis Hunter and Jakobi Meyers each logged a rush. While it is simply Week 2, there is much to uncover with the Jags’ rushing scheme and Sunday may be a good time to test the waters.
Bhayshul Tuten nabbed a team-high 15 carries, but without a solidified backfield, Udinski and Co. can keep Denver on its toes. Journeyman Ameer Abdullah proved he still has some gas in the tank and Chris Rodiguez Jr. was also successful in the position.
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph showed off his team’s tactics, loading the line of scrimmage for much of Monday’s contest. Walker saw eight-plus defenders in the box for 30.43% of his time on the field, which played a factor in his explosive Kansas City debut. Tuten also did well with a loaded front as Cleveland had eight-plus defenders 26.67% of the time.
Dominate in the trenches
Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen have been one of the league’s most dynamic edge rusher duos for the last half-decade, and proved that 2026 will be no different.
The pair each logged 1.5 sacks and combined for seven tackles and three quarterback hits against the Browns. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix will have to take care of the football if Denver wants to be successful Sunday. The third-year pro fumbled three times against the Chiefs, leaving the Jags’ pass rush licking their chops for the upcoming contest.
“You can count on them,” defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said of the duo. “They played with great effort every snap and that’s the thing I was most proud of for those two guys.”
Hines-Allen is coming off an eight-sack season, but will have a difficult matchup Sunday. Denver’s front five is one of the most solid units in the NFL, boasting Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 offensive line in 2025. It retained all five starters from the last two seasons, but succumbed to the pressure against Kansas City. Nix was sacked four times and was hit on five different occasions.
The Jaguars logged five sacks against Deshaun Watson and the Browns. If they can replicate that success in Denver, they should be in good shape to emerge 2-0.
