Three Takeaways From Jaguars’ Sluggish Late-Game Loss
Jacksonville will have to wait at least another season for its first 2-0 start since 2018.
Sunday’s contest was off to a stagnant start as the Jaguars (1-1) and Broncos (1-1) combined for five punts in as many drives, and Jacksonville allowed 17 unanswered points down the stretch.
Week 2 marked Jacksonville’s first test against a premier playoff-caliber team. It will be increasingly tested down the stretch and Sunday may act as a measuring stick for the season’s foreseeable future.
Jacksonville went scoreless for the final 24 minutes of game time in the 20-13 loss. The Jaguars failed to recover after quarterback Trevor Lawrence was picked off in the waning minutes of the third quarter. The hostile Mile High environment got the best of the traveling franchise and Jacksonville’s league-leading seven-game streak of holding its opponents to fewer than 20 points was put to a halt.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Fight Through Adversity
Jacksonville put forth a handful of defensive stands in the opening half that put it in prime position to leave Denver with a victory. Instead, the rampant noise and uncharacteristic mistakes cost it the win.
After back-to-back 27-yard gains, Jacksonville’s defense had its back against the wall. Denver stood at the Jaguars’ 9-yard line, but came out of the drive with nothing but a turnover. Jourdan Lewis outmuscled wideout Courtland Sutton for his 13th career interception with 2:15 before the half, despite Sutton having 6 inches on the cornerback.
Lewis set up the Jaguars at their own 20-yard line and Lawrence orchestrated a brilliant two-minute drill before the break. Lawrence went 6 for 6 with 54 yards to usher in Cam Little for a 44-yard field goal to put the Jaguars up 10-3. Little’s field goal to start the second half would be Jacksonville’s final score.
Lawrence missed various throws to the boundary throughout the contest — a vastly different scene than in Week 1.Denver got the best of him and undercut the stared-down routes. Riley Moss, Denver’s fourth-year cornerback, intercepted Lawrence on an attempt to wideout Parker Washington, setting the Broncos up at their own 36-yard line.
“I can’t turn the ball over in a crucial situation there on the third down and give them good field position, so it starts with me,” Lawrence said. “I have to limit those turnovers and not give them good field position and an extra possession. So I have to be better and we have to be better as a team of just bouncing back after something maybe doesn’t go our way, which I thought we did a good job of in the first half. We just have to continue to learn and improve.”
The Jaguars had the opportunity to pull ahead with 9:45 remaining, but Little missed a 54-yard field goal wide left. The attempt provided the Broncos with ample time and allowed quarterback Bo Nix to captain a five-play, 56-yard game-winning touchdown drive.
“It comes down to all three phases in the second half,” coach Liam Coen said. “Specifically, in the fourth quarter, we did not win. We didn’t win it, we didn’t coach it good enough, we didn’t play it well enough and we did not finish.”
Jacksonville’s final opportunity was capped by an all-too-familiar drop by wideout Brian Thomas Jr., and the club was forced to punt away with 4:46 left in the third quarter.
“Obviously it was tough sledding for us on offense the entire game, but it felt like we made more plays in the first half, and were able to sustain some drives and get some points,” Lawrence said. “we have to be able to score a touchdown in [the] red zone to start the second half. You know, you look at the end of the game and all of those things matter. We just didn’t make enough plays the back half of the second half.”
Pass protection must be cleaned up
Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski’s group failed to generate any semblance of offense early into Sunday’s contest due to the lackluster protection from the offensive line. The Broncos’ pass rush was overwhelming early, setting the Jags behind the chains.
Linebacker duo Nik Bonitto and Que Robinson got to work early. The former stripped Lawrence in the first frame, before a penalty was called and the defensive effort was called back. Nonetheless, the pair maintained pressure and Robinson took Lawrence down on the succeeding drive.
Jacksonville’s offensive tackle tandem was berated for the better part of the first half. Udinski said Thursday he was aware of the explosiveness from Denver’s defensive line, and he was right to circle the group. Anton Harrison and Cole Van Lanen were both exposed in the first quarter after Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss got in Lawrence’s face and smacked down his pass attempt, bringing in Logan Cooke for the punt. Despite Van Lanen’s quality effort on Jacksonville’s opening touchdown, he and the rest of the O-line’s showing was not up to par.
The Broncos emerged out of the first half with five quarterback hits and two sacks, and the strain on Lawrence didn’t end there. Denver continued to rush from all over the line, coming out of the contest with two sacks, seven quarterback hits and seven passes defended. Lawrence was under duress for much of the afternoon, leading to the fourth-quarter interception and nearly another with 9:50 left.
“When you needed a drive, you needed a stop, you needed a catch, you needed a play, we just didn’t do it,” Coen said.
The balanced rushing attack is productive
Instead of yearning for the solidified figure in the backfield, the Jaguars have made due with their committee. While Bhayshul Tuten leads the way, it’s more of a mixed bag with plenty of talent to go around.
Tuten recorded 13 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown in the loss. He led the backs with 5 yards per attempt and made the most of his second contest of 2026. Just six days out from Denver’s Monday Night Football loss in Kansas City, the Jaguars eyed a solid matchup in the trenches. Chiefs rusher Kenneth Walker III added 173 yards, exposing the Broncos’ presumed-premier run defense.
The statsheet didn’t present eye-popping numbers, but they were promising as the Jaguars’ season progresses. Chris Rodriguez Jr. picked up six carries for 13 yards. Ameer Abdullah logged time, mainly down the stretch of the contest. The 12-year veteran’s role was much more uncertain than his running mates, but he maintained quality looks Sunday.
Abdullah’s four carries resulted in 13 total yards. He picked up a solid gain with six minutes remaining, but the effort was not enough to keep the drive rolling as Lawrence was sacked on the following play and Jacksonville’s hopes of advancing to 2-0 came to a sudden end.
Jacksonville will gear up for another high-powered bout when they take on Drake Maye and the New England Patriots next Sunday. The Jaguars will return home for the 1 p.m. kickoff.
Category: Feature Sports News, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
