The Broncos have bigger problems than just washing away a Week 1 loss, but Week 2 gives them a clean chance to answer back. Jacksonville is the opponent again, and Denver’s path to changing the result starts with fixing the same two trouble spots that burned them in last year’s Week 16 meeting.
One of them is on the edge of the secondary, where Ja’Quan McMillian has to handle Parker Washington better than he did in the previous matchup. Washington didn’t merely slip free for a single splash play.
He was a constant problem, finishing with six catches on 10 targets for 145 yards and a touchdown, and Parker's long was a 63-yard reception. McMillian was charged with one catch allowed on one target for 24 yards, but that only tells part of the story.
Washington still found plenty of ways to stress the defense, with pressure up front and Trevor Lawrence’s decision-making limiting how often the ball even came McMillian’s way.
The bigger issue was what happened after the catch. McMillian had two missed tackles in that game, both on Washington, and both turned into big gains.
That’s the part Denver can’t let repeat. It’s not just about sticking in coverage; it’s about finishing the play.
After the Broncos’ tackling problems showed up again in the season opener - McMillian was credited with three missed tackles - that detail looms even larger.
McMillian’s physical style is part of what makes him effective, but tackling consistency has long been one of the rough edges in his game, even if penalties have sometimes overshadowed it. Against Washington, that weakness was exposed.
The other matchup is on the offensive line, where Mike McGlinchey has to deal with Josh Hines-Allen. Last year, Hines-Allen racked up six total pressures, though not all of them came against McGlinchey, who was credited with allowing just two. Even so, Hines-Allen still managed to throw Denver’s plan off track in multiple ways.
That’s a dangerous matchup for the Broncos because Hines-Allen fits the profile of the kind of pass rusher McGlinchey has had trouble with over the course of his career. He showed the same disruptive traits in Jacksonville’s season opener last week, posting five total pressures and three stops. He’s quick off the ball, explosive, and can work the edge before slicing back inside to get home.
Denver should prepare McGlinchey for that kind of challenge by getting him reps against Nik Bonitto and Que Robinson, who share similar traits as pass rushers with their get-off, quickness, and explosiveness. If the Broncos are serious about taking control of this game, slowing Hines-Allen has to be near the top of the list.
Kansas City treated Bonitto as a priority matchup last week against undrafted rookie left tackle Khalil Benson, and the strategy worked well enough to make Bonitto a non-factor. The Broncos need that same level of focus on Hines-Allen if they want a different result this time around.
In Other News...
Broncos Linebacker Trouble Could Force A Familiar Reunion
Denvers Week 1 loss put a spotlight on a linebacker group that never looked settled, and Alex Singletons return from injury did not smooth things over the way the Broncos hoped. With the middle of the defense under scrutiny, the search for help has already started to feel less like a luxury and more like a necessity if the Broncos want to avoid letting one shaky opener become a longer-term problem.
Cody Barton is the name that keeps surfacing because he brings both familiarity and a possible opening. The Titans linebacker struggled in their opener and could be pushed aside if Tennessee chooses to lean into younger options, which is the kind of roster shift that can put a veteran on the move. For Denver, the appeal is obvious: Barton already knows the organization, and in a spot where the Broncos need steadier play fast, a familiar face might end up looking like the simplest fix. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Singleton Debate Just Got More Heated In Denver
Alex Singletons Week 1 stat line looked busy in the box score, but the tape told a more complicated story for a Broncos defense that came out of the loss to Kansas City with tackling questions hanging over it. Singleton led Denver with 16 tackles, yet some of the missed stops around him became part of the larger conversation about how cleanly the defense played in the opener.
Singleton has already acknowledged the Broncos need to tackle better and said he believes the group will improve this week, but the debate around his performance has only grown louder. His agent added fuel to it on social media by blasting Broncos media coverage as ignorant and incompetent, turning what might have stayed a football discussion into a more pointed one for a team trying to move on quickly from Week 1. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Fans Will Hate What This Chiefs Missed Call Just Confirmed
A familiar AFC West frustration resurfaced on Monday night, when the Chiefs found a way to keep their offense moving on a touchdown play that left Broncos fans fuming. On the snap in question, Travis Kelce was seen holding a Denver safety, but the officials let it go, and the score stood. Kelce later acknowledged the hold was questionable, a detail that only added to the sense that the Broncos caught a bad break at a key moment.
For Denver, the missed call did more than just sting in real time. It came as Kansas City was building momentum in a game the Chiefs went on to win, while the Broncos were dealing with their own penalty issues and an uneven performance that left little margin for error. In a rivalry that already lives on the edge, a sequence like that is the kind fans remember long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]