The Broncos didn’t exactly look polished in their 20-13 win over the Jaguars, but they did look a lot more like a team capable of sorting things out. After an ugly opener, Denver needed a response in Week 2, and it got one in front of the Mile High Faithful to move to 1-1.
The biggest spark came from Jaylen Waddle, who had a coming-out party in his first game in front of the home crowd. Rookie running back Jonah Coleman also delivered when Denver needed it most, piling up some key late runs to help close it out.
Coleman’s moment mattered even more because RJ Harvey didn’t play and J.K. Dobbins left early with a hamstring injury.
Denver also got a strong day from the pass rush, which kept Trevor Lawrence under constant pressure by sending waves at him. That layered approach is one of the Broncos’ biggest defensive advantages, because it means the first rusher isn’t always the one finishing the play. Against Jacksonville, the pressure came from one body after another, and Lawrence had little room to settle in.
Offensively, the story was more complicated. Davis Webb dialed up several strong calls, especially to create big-play chances for Waddle, and Bo Nix hit enough of those throws to make them count. But Denver’s offense still opened sluggishly, just as it has since Nix became the starter, and the first half was defined more by execution problems than by play-calling.
That slow start didn’t stop there. The Broncos were sharper after halftime, but the pattern remains the same: this offense takes too long to get rolling. Even in a game where the second half looked better, the first-half issues were impossible to ignore.
The same could be said for the screen game. Webb called a screen on 3rd-and-11, a choice that looked timid and wasted a down. Screens have their place in Denver’s offense as part of the run game, but Webb and Sean Payton need to be much more selective with them.
The penalties and discipline problems were another mess that showed up throughout the afternoon. Riley Moss drew a rough illegal contact penalty because he wouldn’t let go of his assignment, and Talanoa Hufanga was flagged for a bad delay-of-game penalty.
Moss’s mistake hurt even more because it wiped out a Nik Bonitto strip-sack that Denver had recovered. The Broncos cleaned some of that up in the second half, but not enough to avoid giving Jacksonville extra chances.
There were also major questions on defense beyond the penalties. D.J.
Jones is a good player, but he continues to have trouble against offensive lines that want to play bully ball because of his lack of mass and length. Eyioma Uwazurike is Denver’s biggest and longest defensive lineman, but he has struggled to begin the season.
Vance Joseph’s defense leans on smaller, quicker linemen in the Wade Phillips mold, but Denver’s best season under Phillips came with a true force on the interior, and that is something this team still needs.
The same kind of concern shows up at linebacker, where Singleton’s play has become too much of a liability. His coverage issues are nothing new, but his problems in the run game are getting worse.
He’s slow, he’s not very athletic, and he keeps ending up in the wrong spot against both the run and the pass. The excuses are running thin, and while his contract keeps him in Denver this season if he stays healthy, his time as a starter should be over after this year.
The offensive line was another mixed bag. Over the last two seasons, Denver’s front was one of the best in football, but that hasn’t been the case through two games this year.
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey looks like he’s regressed, and center Luke Wattenberg has also taken a step back after Denver extended him last year on a four-year deal. The unit improved some after halftime, but long stretches of this game were still a struggle in the trenches.
There’s still a long way to go, but the result matters. Sean Payton has now won only one season opener since taking over in Denver, and Sunday’s victory was just his second win in the first two weeks since arriving in 2023. The Broncos are 1-1, and teams that start that way have a 42% chance of making the playoffs.
That doesn’t make everything okay. It does mean the panic from Week 1 can cool off a bit.
Denver is still working through growing pains, from Nix’s Year 3 development to integrating new talent and getting a first-time play-caller up to speed. But if the Broncos keep improving the way they did against Jacksonville, they can still stack wins while they figure the rest out.
In Other News...
NFL Punished A Chiefs Starter For What Happened Late Vs Broncos
A late-game penalty against the Chiefs against the Broncos carried a little extra bite this week, with Kansas City guard Trey Smith fined $6,750 for a chop block in the fourth quarter of that matchup. The league announced the discipline the day before the Chiefs were set to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football, another reminder that even routine-looking infractions can draw attention once the NFL reviews them.
For Denver, it is another small footnote in a game that already featured its share of physical moments at the line of scrimmage. The fine fits the leagues broader effort to reinforce player conduct standards, but the timing also keeps the Broncos' latest meeting with their AFC West rivals in the conversation a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Run Game Just Lost A Piece Sean Payton Needed
RJ Harveys availability has become a fresh concern for a Broncos offense trying to lean on its run game early in the season. The rookie back was already coming off a game in which his workload was limited, and missing practices late in the week points to a hamstring issue that now puts him on the sideline for the upcoming matchup with Jacksonville.
J.K. Dobbins is expected to step into the lead role in Harveys absence, giving Sean Payton a more established option to carry the load. For a Denver offense that wants balance and consistency on the ground, losing Harvey removes a piece the staff had hoped to use, and leaves the backfield alignment a little thinner heading into a tough test. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Land In Another Chiefs Flashpoint After Mahomes Hit
A brief NFL review of Nik Bonittos hit on Patrick Mahomes has landed Denver back in one of the leagues most closely watched rivalries, but not with the kind of punishment the Chiefs might have hoped for. The Broncos edge rusher got to Mahomes after a short throw in Kansas City, with the contact appearing to come around the quarterbacks head and neck, yet the league ruled it legal and did not issue a roughing-the-passer penalty or fine.
The game itself still produced its share of discipline, with Chiefs guard Trey Smith and Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton each fined for separate infractions. For Denver, though, the Bonitto ruling keeps alive another familiar Chiefs flashpoint, the kind of moment that tends to linger long after a matchup the Chiefs ultimately won. [Read more 🡒]