The Jaguars didn’t just lose to the Broncos in Week 2 - they let a 13-3 lead slip away in a game that felt like one they should have finished. But the silver lining is sitting right there in the standings, and it comes from the rest of the AFC South.
Through two weeks, the division has been a mess. Jacksonville’s blowout win over the Browns is the only victory any AFC South team has managed so far, and the division as a whole is just 1-7. The Jaguars are absorbing a frustrating defeat, but they are also looking around and seeing that nobody in the division has broken away.
That matters entering Week 3, when Jacksonville hosts the New England Patriots. The Colts and Texans are set to play each other, which guarantees at least one AFC South team will be 0-3 and another will be 1-2.
If the Jaguars take care of business against New England, they could open up a two-game cushion on Houston if the Texans then lose to Indianapolis in Week 4. For this early in the season, that would be a real head start.
And the problems around the division run deeper than the standings. Tennessee is still searching for answers and, as the article notes, looks a lot like the Robert Saleh-era New York Jets.
Even some gifts from the Philadelphia Eagles weren’t enough to get the Titans over the line. They are also the only one of Jacksonville’s three AFC South rivals who have not yet taken a major injury hit, at least for now.
Houston, meanwhile, felt the absence of Nico Collins in a loss to the Bengals. The Texans’ passing game looked thin without him.
Dalton Schultz saw 14 targets, while the team’s top three receivers combined for eight catches and 107 yards on 21 targets. That receiver group behind Collins has been described as one of the worst in the NFL, and the Bengals game didn’t do anything to change that impression.
The longer Collins is out, the tougher things get for Houston.
The Colts may be in the roughest spot of all. Their defense keeps giving up touchdowns, and now they’ve lost Alec Pierce for an undetermined amount of time. An 0-2 start is already alarming, and more losses could bring changes at head coach and general manager.
So yes, the Broncos loss stings for Jacksonville. It was the kind of game that should have ended differently. But the rest of the AFC South has helped soften the blow, and the Jaguars have a clear chance to reset quickly.
“I think we kind of talked about it all day today, it starts in practice. You have to practice like what's going to happen in the game, so if you are lackadaisical in practice, you're going to get lackadaisical with the details in the game,” Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones said Monday.
“I think that it was good for this to happen. Now we got to hone in on us.
It's all about us, and if we execute and commit to our play style and things we do, it's going to be hard to beat us. I think it was good we had a wake-up call like this.”
In Other News...
Jaguars Loss Just Sparked A Travis Hunter Debate Fans Feared
The Jaguars 20-13 loss to the Broncos in Week 2 did more than drop Jacksonville into an early hole. It also put Travis Hunter right back at the center of the conversation about how the team is using its most unique player, with the rookie spending most of his time on defense at cornerback while seeing only limited work on offense.
Hunters day included a costly pass interference penalty, and coach Liam Coen went to bat for him afterward. Coen defended Hunter and voiced his frustration over the unsportsmanlike conduct flag he drew, a sequence that only sharpened the debate over how much the Jaguars should ask of him and how quickly they should lean into his two-way promise. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Hunter Conversation Just Got More Personal For Jaguars Fans
Leanna Hunter was in the stands for the Jaguars game against the Broncos, and she made sure to show it. The wife of Jacksonville cornerback Travis Hunter posted an Instagram look built around Jaguars gear, another small reminder of how quickly Hunters arrival has become a family storyline as much as a football one.
Leanna Hunter also weighed in on how coach Liam Coen used Travis Hunter during the game, adding a more personal edge to what had already become a talking point for Jacksonville fans. She had only recently marked Hunters second season with the team on social media, so the connection is becoming increasingly visible beyond the field as the Jaguars sort through how to maximize one of their most watched players. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Let This One Slip As Trevor Lawrence Faces New Concern
A game the Jaguars had a real chance to control slipped away in Denver, where the Broncos rallied for a 20-13 comeback win in Week 2. Jacksonville could not finish drives against a defense that looked sharper than it did a week earlier, as Denver limited the run and kept steady heat on Trevor Lawrence, while rookie Jonah Coleman picked up his first career touchdown as part of a balanced effort for the home side.
For the Jaguars, the loss leaves more than the usual postgame frustration. Lawrence is now dealing with a new concern after a night when protection and rhythm were both hard to find, and Jacksonville will have to sort out whether the issue is a short-term setback or something that could linger. Even with Denver showing some offensive inconsistency on third down and in the red zone, the Jaguars let a winnable game get away, and the bigger worry may be how quickly they can get their quarterback right. [Read more 🡒]