In a rematch of last year’s Week 16 heavy-hitting matchup between the Jaguars (1-1) and Broncos (1-1), the defenses showed up early. The first five possessions of the game resulted in five punts, and the Jaguars and Broncos combined for just 63 rushing yards in the first half.
But behind a 14-point fourth-quarter surge led by quarterback Bo Nix, Denver prevailed for its first win of the 2026 season, 20-13. A Trevor Lawrence interception and a missed 54-yard Jacksonville field goal allowed the Broncos to compile 17 unanswered points and hold the Jaguars to just three points in the second half.
Broncos receiver Jaylen Waddle torched the Jacksonville defense, tallying 138 yards on eight receptions, and after allowing 220 rushing yards against the Chiefs in Week 1, Denver held the Jaguars to just 95 yards on the ground.
Though Jacksonville’s goal-line defense limited the Broncos to a lone field goal through two first-half red zone trips, its pass defense lacked for a consecutive week. The Jaguars allowed 234 yards through the air against the Browns in Week 1, and the Broncos consistently attacked the Jacksonville secondary. Nix totaled 156 passing yards in the first half, with 75 of those yards coming during Denver’s final drive of the second quarter.
After holding the Jaguars to a field goal out of the half, the Broncos found more life as the third quarter slipped into the fourth.
Denver intercepted Lawrence and marched 64 yards downfield in 10 plays for a game-tying touchdown as Jacksonville’s pass defense continued to provide seams for Nix to exploit. The Denver QB finished with 288 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 22-of-31 passing.
Jacksonville and quarterback Trevor Lawrence found a groove in the second quarter as an 8-play, 72-yard drive that featured a 32-yard connection to Parker Washington was capped by a 1-yard Bhayshul Tuten touchdown run, but the Jaguars failed to build on their momentum.
Denver punched right back with a 49-yard bomb to Waddle that set up a 20-yard Will Lutz field goal — the Broncos' lone score of the first half.
Though Washington flashed as Jacksonville’s clear-cut WR1 for a second week in a row, he was virtually shut out in the second half. After tallying six receptions for 80 yards in the first half, he added just one catch for 18 yards in the second.
Penalties and poor offensive line play also hindered Jacksonville’s effectiveness throughout. Lawrence faced constant pressure in the loss, and he tallied just 189 yards and an interception on 17-of-29 passing. Lawrence was sacked twice, and the Jaguars saw four penalties move them back 40 yards. They also went 5-for-12 on third down, and Lawrence threw for just 51 second-half yards after an efficient start.
Though Tuten saw an uptick in effectiveness in the second half, he couldn’t jumpstart the offense. After tallying just 16 yards through two quarters, the second-year back added 36 yards on three carries out of the half, but Jacksonville’s turnover and missed field goal were too much to overcome.
As Denver’s offense proved efficient against a struggling Jacksonville secondary, Lawrence and Co. couldn’t mount a late-game comeback. When the Jaguars punted with 4:41 left in the game, the Broncos were able to milk the clock and string together chunk-yardage plays to effectively put the game on ice.
The Jaguars will look to rebound against the New England Patriots (1-1) at 1 p.m. Sept. 27 at EverBank Stadium.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
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.
