Broncos vs. Jaguars: 3 things to know about Week 2’s game
The Jacksonville Jaguars weren’t able to acquire a win last Sunday against the Houston Texans and now it’s on to focusing on Week 2’s opponents in the Denver Broncos. While it will mark the first regular season home game for the Jags, it’s one where the Jags are the underdogs by 5.5 points as the Broncos have all the momentum after defeating the New York Giants Week 1 by a score of 27-13.
Sunday’s game will mark the 13th meeting between the Jags and Broncos and will be their fifth meeting in Jacksonville. The most notable meetings between these two teams came in the late 90s, though, but that doesn’t mean Sunday’s game can’t be one fans enjoy and call one of the best of the week.
As we close in on game day, let’s take a look at few things to know about Sunday’s upcoming battle between the Jags and Broncos.
The Jags will come into this game with a 7-6 all-time record vs. Denver
Sep 29, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) hauls in a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter with Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tre Herndon (37) defending at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
While the Jags aren't a favorite to beat Denver in the eyes of oddsmakers, history is on their side. They will enter Sunday's game 7-6 against the Broncos, which includes a win in their last meeting that occurred in 2019 at Empower Field at Mile High. In that game, the Jags were led by another rookie quarterback in Gardner Minshew II, who propelled the Jags to a 26-24 win. Not only was he able to put together a highlight game for his career, but he was also able to lead the Jags down the field for a game-winning field goal from Josh Lambo. Now, it will be on No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence to try and duplicate that same success and lead the Jags to an upset. Another thing that will be in the Jags' favor is that they are 3-2 against Denver at TIAA Bank Field. The last meeting in Jacksonville between both teams was unfortunately a win for the Broncos (in 2016) as Denver defeated Gus Bradley and company by a score of 20-10.
Von Miller is set to clash against a worrisome OT duo in Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor
Sep 15, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller (58) in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Most Jags fans would agree about being worried about the protection of Lawrence. The reason for that is because future Hall-of-Famer Von Miller is coming to town and he's fresh off a dominant game against the New York Giants where he registered two sacks. Meanwhile, on the Jags' end, tackles Jawaan Taylor and Cam Robinson are coming off games where they allowed a combined total of five pressures against the Texans. With that being the case, their offensive line will have to improve drastically from where they were Week 1 in a short amount of time. Miller isn't the only player who could present a problem for Lawrence, though. Bradley Chubb could be back from the ankle injury that made him inactive Week 1, and if he's not, the Broncos' pass-rusher behind him, Malik Reed, has plenty of experience, too, with 22 career starts to his name. Simply put, the Jags can't help the aforementioned Broncos by abandoning the run and hurting themselves with penalties because if they find themselves in a hole early like Week 1, it could turn into a beatdown.
Injuries
Sep 12, 2021; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay (19) catches the ball over Denver Broncos cornerback Ronald Darby (21) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
If there was a positive from Week 1 for the Jags, it's the fact that they came out of the situation relatively healthy. They only had one player who didn't practice Wednesday and that was cornerback Tre Herndon -- a player they were without on Sunday, too. The Broncos, on the other hand, weren't as lucky. In fact, they had to put two starters on injured reserve in receiver Jerry Jeudy and cornerback Ronald Darby. The absence of Jeudy will help the Jags because it gives them one less speed threat to deal with, which is something they struggled with on defense Week 1. In fact, the unit allowed receiver Brandin Cooks to put up five catches for 132 yards against them and Juedy could do the same as he has identical trades. Then on defense, Darby was a starter for the Broncos at cornerback (had a 76.0 PFF grade last season), and without him, it's one less veteran for Lawrence to deal with. Taking his place will be a fellow rookie for Lawrence in Patrick Surtain II, who may be a player to scheme against as he will be starting in his first NFL game.
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