Broncos Undone by Missed Opportunities, Costly Mistakes in Second-Half Collapse vs. Jaguars
Coming out of halftime trailing 17-10, the Denver Broncos had a chance to reset the tone. They got the ball to open the third quarter, starting from their own 27-yard line. It was a pivotal moment-an opportunity to shift momentum and reassert themselves against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that had shown flashes but wasn’t out of reach.
But the opening sequence was anything but smooth. The Jaguars' defense came out flying-stuffing the run on first down, then bottling up Bo Nix on a scramble for no gain on second. Denver caught a break with a defensive holding call that extended the drive, and while the offense still looked a bit out of sync, they were bailed out again-this time by a personal foul on a completion to Lil’Jordan Humphrey that pushed them into scoring territory.
And then came the spark.
RJ Harvey took an inside handoff and exploded through a crease, rumbling 39 yards to the house. Just like that, the Broncos had tied it up, 17-17, and it felt like Denver had weathered the storm.
But the Jaguars weren’t rattled. After a solid special teams play pinned them at their own 25, Jacksonville methodically worked their way downfield-though not without controversy.
A questionable “body weight” roughing the passer call on a hit to Trevor Lawrence gave the Jaguars a key chunk of yardage. And while Denver’s defense managed to force a third-and-long, Lawrence found Parker Washington wide open-on a play that looked like it came after the play clock had expired.
That wasn’t the only call that had Broncos fans shaking their heads. A defensive pass interference flag-on what looked like tight but clean coverage-moved the ball to the 1-yard line. Jacksonville punched it in from there to retake the lead, 24-17.
Still, there was time. Bo Nix came back out and showed poise, evading pressure and hitting Harvey in the flat, who turned it into a 15-yard gain to midfield.
Denver dialed up some creativity with a trick play that nearly broke open-a deep shot to Courtland Sutton that would’ve gone for 45 yards if not for the ball getting jarred loose as Sutton hit the ground. It was a near-miss that stalled the drive’s momentum, and three plays later, Denver was punting.
That’s when the game began to slip away.
Parker Washington struck again, this time taking a short pass and slicing through the defense for a 63-yard gain down to the Broncos’ 10. One play later, Jacksonville found the end zone again. Just like that, it was 31-17, and Denver was staring at a two-touchdown deficit with under four minutes left in the third quarter.
Desperate for a response, the Broncos tried to mount a comeback. But it ended before it began-Bo Nix mishandled a handoff to Jaleel McLaughlin, and the ball hit the turf. Jacksonville recovered, and with a fresh set of downs and first-and-goal to open the fourth quarter-thanks in part to another big third-down catch-and-run from Washington-the Jaguars were firmly in control.
This one slipped away from Denver not because of a single play, but because of a sequence of missed chances, untimely penalties, and explosive plays allowed. The Broncos had their moments-Harvey’s touchdown run, the near-miss to Sutton, the flashes from Nix-but in the end, the Jaguars capitalized on their opportunities, and Denver simply couldn’t keep pace.