The Jaguars left Week 2 with more questions than answers, and the Broncos’ blown loss put a few players squarely under the microscope heading into a Week 3 meeting with the New England Patriots. Some guys are building real momentum. Others are watching their stock dip fast.
Start with Bhayshul Tuten, because the second-year running back keeps looking like one of Jacksonville’s best bets. Through two weeks, he’s sitting in the top 10 among qualified backs in yards after contact per attempt, 10-plus-yard runs and missed tackles forced.
He’s also outpacing Chris Rodriguez Jr. in a way that’s hard to ignore: 15 more carries, 95 more yards and a better success rate. Tuten has clearly been the Jaguars’ most productive back so far, and the Broncos game only made that gap look bigger.
On defense, Ventrell Miller had a solid day even if the unit around him was getting burned by explosive plays. The fourth-year defender and first-year starter finished with four stops, added one pressure as a blitzer and allowed just one catch for seven yards in coverage. He didn’t have the splashy performance he turned in the week before, but he still looks like a legitimate answer at linebacker after Devin Lloyd’s departure.
Dennis Gardeck also made his presence felt in a game where Jacksonville’s pass rush otherwise came up empty. The Jaguars managed just six pressures and no sacks against Bo Nix, but Gardeck was one of the few who consistently got close.
He ranked eighth among Jaguars defenders in pass-rush reps, yet he matched the seven players ahead of him combined with two pressures. That kind of output makes a pretty simple case for more snaps.
The rougher part of the report starts with Brian Thomas Jr., and Sunday felt like one of those games that raises concern. Jacksonville couldn’t get him involved on the outside, and his best moment came on a drag route across the middle.
Outside of that, he dropped two catchable sideline passes and got smothered on another deep shot by Pat Surtain II. He saw plenty of targets.
He just didn’t turn them into production.
Arik Armstead’s early-season pass-rush numbers haven’t helped the Jaguars’ interior pressure issue either. He’s tied for second on the team with 43 pass-rush snaps, but through two games he has only one pressure, according to NextGenStats.
That works out to a 2.3% pressure rate, which ranks No. 88 among 92 qualified starting defensive ends and tackles in the NFL. Jacksonville needs him to be part of the answer inside, and so far he hasn’t delivered.
Montaric Brown is also off to a difficult start. NextGenStats says only five cornerbacks in the league have allowed more yards in coverage this season than Brown’s 139.
The numbers are ugly when stacked against last year too: Brown allowed 366 yards in 462 coverage snaps, or 0.79 yards per snap, and that figure has jumped to 3.23 yards per coverage snap in 2026 so far. Too many of the Jaguars’ explosive plays have come with Brown as the primary coverage defender.
In Other News...
Jaguars Let This One Slip As Trevor Lawrence Faces New Concern
The Jaguars had a chance to turn Week 2 into an early tone-setter, but instead watched Denver walk out with a 20-13 comeback victory that exposed some familiar frustrations. Jacksonville could not hold the lead, and the loss came with the kind of uneven offensive showing that can make even a promising start feel fragile, especially when the defense is asked to carry too much of the load.
Trevor Lawrence and the passing game now face a new layer of concern as the Jaguars move on from a game that slipped away in the second half. Denvers defense tightened up after a rough opener, closing off the run and getting enough pressure to make Jacksonville uncomfortable, while the Broncos found just enough from their own attack to overcome an early mistake and finish strong, even if the offense still left some points on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Loss Exposed A Defensive Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Bhayshul Tuten and Parker Washington gave the Jaguars some needed production in the 20-13 loss to Denver, but the bigger story was on the other side of the ball. Jacksonvilles run defense held up, and there were moments where the offense found enough rhythm to stay in the game, yet the Broncos consistently made life difficult up front and forced the Jaguars to work for everything they got.
Jacksonvilles pass rush and secondary never fully settled in, which left the defense vulnerable when the Broncos needed to create separation. The offensive line had its own problems dealing with Denvers front, and the combined effect was a game that kept exposing the same soft spots. For a team trying to build momentum, it was the kind of loss that leaves a clear warning about what still has to get fixed. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Already Have A Travis Hunter Debate Liam Coen Can't Ignore
The Jaguars Week 2 loss to the Broncos has quickly turned into a bigger conversation about how Jacksonville is using Travis Hunter. After a 20-13 defeat, analyst Emmanuel Acho took aim at Liam Coen for the way Hunter has been deployed, pointing to a role that has leaned heavily to one side of the ball. Through two games, Hunter has been on the field for 58% of the defensive snaps and just 9% of the offensive snaps, a split that has already invited debate about whether the Jaguars are maximizing one of the leagues most intriguing young players.
Hunters early stat line only adds to the discussion. He has one reception, one rush, five tackles and one pass defended so far in the 2026 season, a modest start for a player whose two-way profile drew so much attention entering the year. For Jacksonville, the question now is not whether Hunter can contribute, but how Coen balances his responsibilities in a way that helps the team after an uneven start. [Read more 🡒]