The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t buying the idea that the Denver Broncos’ ugly Monday night showing will define what comes next.
Denver’s 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs produced the kind of Week 1 noise that tends to swell fast in the NFL, and the Broncos were hit from both directions in the aftermath. But according to Jonathan Jones of The Athletic, a Jaguars source sees the mess from that game as exactly the sort of early-season tackling breakdown that gets overblown. Denver missed 28 tackles against Kansas City, and the Jacksonville source pointed to that number as a classic first-game problem, saying that “it happens.”
That same source also expected the Broncos’ front to look different moving forward, calling it “more human.” Denver’s defense is undersized, and the Chiefs were able to lean into bullyball with running back Kenneth Walker III, who was described as an exception because of his unusual mix of power and speed.
Jones also reported on the week Denver spent trying to clean up the fallout from the debut of new offensive coordinator Davis Webb. Sean Payton owned some of that mess, saying there was “dirt on a ton of people’s hands, starting with me.”
Webb addressed the situation Friday and said Payton has been his usual self in meetings this week. That may not narrow much down, given Payton’s volatility, but it does set the stage for what Denver looks like on Sunday.
The sharpest outside view came from an AFC rival executive, who called Payton an elite play-caller. He also took a swipe at Webb, describing him as a “good dude” who is 31 and going through his first experience as a play caller.
The executive said Webb appeared to get pantsed to at least some extent by Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and pointed to Denver’s difficult opening stretch as a potential problem. If the Broncos stumble early, he warned, things could get “very messy.”
None of this means the Broncos’ coaching situation is unheard of. Jones noted that Lions coach Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties from OC John Morton in midseason last year, among other examples. Still, the Jaguars already have one clear memory of Denver after pounding the Broncos at Mile High last season, and Week 2 gives them another chance to see what’s real and what was just Week 1 noise.
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Broncos Facing Early Pressure After Brutal Week 2 Forecast
Denvers opening loss to Kansas City already put the Broncos in an uneasy spot, and the offenses rough showing did little to calm concerns about how quickly this season can get away from them. Now the conversation has shifted to Week 2, where the Jacksonville Jaguars come in after a convincing win over the Cleveland Browns and with enough momentum to make an early-season trip to Denver feel like a far tougher test than the schedule might suggest.
ESPN analyst Pamela Maldonado has already added to the pressure by projecting another Broncos loss, a forecast that would send Denver to 0-2 and turn the first two weeks into an urgent reset point. For a team trying to avoid digging too deep a hole this early, the matchup suddenly carries more weight than a typical September game, with the Broncos left to answer whether last week was a bad start or a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Have No Excuse To Let This Home Bounce-Back Spot Slip
After a Week 1 loss, Denver gets a quick chance to steady itself at home against a Jacksonville team that arrives with some momentum but also the early uncertainty that comes with a new regime. On paper, this is the kind of matchup the Broncos should be able to lean into. Their roster looks stronger overall, and a home opener after an opening-week setback is the sort of spot good teams use to get back on track.
The Jaguars have played well enough recently to make this more than a layup, so Denver cannot treat it like a routine rebound. Still, if the Broncos are going to live up to the talent on the roster, this is exactly the sort of game they need to handle. The opportunity is there, the setting is favorable, and the pressure now is on Denver to make sure a winnable home game does not turn into an early-season missed chance. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Suddenly Face Pressure To Fix More Than Just The Offense
The Broncos loss to Kansas City did more than expose an offense still looking for rhythm. It also put a spotlight on the bigger picture around Sean Paytons team, with Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post laying out a broader fix list that starts with better quarterback play from Russell Nix and a stronger commitment to the running game, but does not stop there. Denvers problems in that game stretched across phases, and the conversation around the team quickly turned from one position group to the entire operation.
Gabriels breakdown also points to the defense, where the Broncos need to do more on first downs and clean up tackling if they want to stop bleeding yardage and keep games manageable. The specifics of a few plays and the coaching comments around them underline why this feels like more than a one-unit issue. Denver can still point to the offense as the obvious pain point, but the Chiefs game made it clear the Broncos have a lot more than that to repair. [Read more 🡒]