Headed into Sunday’s matchup against the Denver Broncos, the Jacksonville Jaguars were on one of the best runs in franchise history. The Jags had won nine straight regular-season games, the second-longest streak in the organization's 30-year history. But that streak was snapped at Empower Field at Mile High.
Jacksonville surrendered its 13-3 third-quarter lead as the Broncos stormed back to win 20-13. While the Jaguars (1-1) still have current control of the AFC South division, it's clear that Liam Coen’s squad still has plenty to improve on going forward.
Here are the three key takeaways from Jacksonville’s first loss of the 2026 season.
Trevor Lawrence faced too much pressure (and his decision-making suffered as a result)
In Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, Trevor Lawrence was electric, delivering 245 passing yards and four touchdowns while completing over 78% of his pass attempts.
But he couldn’t continue that success against the stout Broncos defense. Lawrence went 17 for 29 passing for 189 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception.
So, why the regression? It likely had to do with the immense amount of pressure Denver’s defense put on the Jaguars offensive line.
Against the Browns, Lawrence was pressured six total times and was only sacked once in his excellent performance. He was also given an average of 2.98 seconds to throw per attempt, per Pro Football Focus. PFF also gave four of Jacksonville’s five starting offensive linemen pass-blocking grades of 73.5 or better, with only right guard Ezra Cleveland falling short of the mark (63.7).
But those numbers all were for the worse in Denver. Lawrence faced 11 total pressures, was sacked twice and only had 2.66 seconds to throw per attempt. Outside of center Robert Hainsey (79.7 pass-blocking grade), the Jags’ other four linemen had sub-60.0 pass-blocking grades, per PFF. Notably, Jacksonville’s guards, Cleveland and rookie Emmanuel Pregnon, put up grades of 30.2 and 22.4, respectively, well below the standard for any performance.
With the pressure coming from all directions on Sunday, Lawrence’s decision-making suffered as a result, leading to Riley Moss’ interception off of the Jags signal-caller in plus-territory late in the third quarter.
If Lawrence and the Jaguars want to get back on track, it starts with the five-man group ahead of Jacksonville’s starting QB becoming more consistent.
The run game will be okay, pending offensive line improvement
After rushing for 126 yards against the Browns, Jacksonville logged just 95 in Denver. However, the backfield unit didn’t see much of a dip in efficiency, dropping from 3.9 yards per carry against Cleveland to 3.7 against the Broncos.
The Jaguars totaled four fewer carries against Denver, but the blowout nature of their Week 1 matchup lent itself toward the run. With Lawrence’s efficiency early in the opener, Jacksonville was able to open the backfield and split rushes among seven different players.
But at Empower Field at Mile High, a 17-point swing saw the Jaguars lack time of possession in the fourth quarter as Jacksonville was unable to get its offense back on the field after punting with 4:41 to play.
Lead back Bhayshul Tuten put up similar numbers to Week 1, however. After posting 66 yards on 15 carries in the opener, Tuten rushed for 65 on 13 carries against the Broncos. He logged longs of 12 and 16 yards in Week 1 and 2, respectively, and has averaged 4.7 yards per carry thus far.
Though Jacksonville’s rushing game proved ineffective against a stingy Denver defense — the Jaguars were held to just 31 rushing yards in the first half — Tuten has proven efficient, shouldering a heavy share of the backfield workload. He has handled 50% of Jacksonville’s carries (28 of 56) through two weeks, with Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Ameer Abdullah offering complementary production in supporting roles.
The Jaguars logged 64 rushing yards to just 51 passing in the second half of the 20-13 loss to Denver, showcasing their ability to move the chains with Tuten, but the offensive line will need to improve in order to bolster the run game and give Lawrence time to work through his progressions.
The pass defense is worrisome (and the lack of pressure didn’t help)
Arguably the most concerning area of the contest for Jacksonville was the regression in their secondary. That, paired with a lack of pressure on Denver quarterback Bo Nix, was at the root of the Jags’ loss.
Against Cleveland, the Jaguars' ferocious front got to QB Deshaun Watson six separate times and recorded a whopping 13 pressures. In that game, the duo of defensive ends Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen combined for three sacks and seven quarterback pressures, showcasing their game-breaking skill.
But the Broncos shut that down. While Jacksonville was credited with eight pressures, per PFF, only one came from the Walker/Hines-Allen duo. And even more worrisome was that the Jags weren’t able to sack Nix once throughout the contest.
With the pressure not getting to Denver’s QB, Jacksonville’s secondary was forced to serve as the last line of defense, and they were not able to step up to the plate.
Three separate members of the secondary – Jourdan Lewis, Montaric Brown and Jarrian Jones – gave up 58-plus yards passing and all earned coverage grades below 53.0. While Lewis did pick off Nix in the second quarter, he was also the defender PFF credited as the one who gave up the receiving touchdown by Broncos TE Nate Adkins.
Jacksonville also could not slow down Jaylen Waddle. After he only had one catch for 2 yards in his debut as a Bronco, the former Pro-Bowl wideout had eight grabs for 138 yards, accounting for nearly half of Denver’s production through the air.
If Jacksonville wants to get back on track against Drake Maye and the New England Patriots on Sunday at EverBank Stadium, the secondary must tighten up, and the Jaguars must bring back the pressure they placed on Watson in Week 1.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @maxbernstein23.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor. This Fall, he is a Sports Editor and a Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars reporter at The Alligator. Now in his ninth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Digital Managing Editor, Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his sixth semester at The Alligator. He is currently a sports editor and football beat reporter for the Gators and the Jaguars. He previously served as a men's tennis and sports enterprise reporter, and he is pursuing a public relations minor.
