Broncos seek defensive rebound against red-hot Jaguars

DENVER (AP) The Denver Broncos have too many things to correct from their opening-week stumble to concern themselves with exacting any sort of revenge for their blowout loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars last December.

Start with more than two dozen missed tackles in their stunning 31-10 loss at Kansas City.

Defensive struggles were a league-wide issue in Week 1 as offenses lit up the scoreboards, tying the record for the highest-scoring opening week in NFL history. But the Broncos' inability to get reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to the ground was especially glaring because Denver's defense has long been one of the stoutest in football.

"I mean, it was definitely a big factor,” Denver defensive end Zach Allen said. “It's very correctable, so that's the good news. It'll definitely be a point of emphasis in practice this week. And knowing the guys we got, it'll get addressed, it'll get fixed. So, it shouldn't be a problem anymore."

"We've bounced back from bad losses the last few years, and we play a really good Jacksonville team this week. So, it's going to be its own challenge.”

Jacksonville (1-0) has won nine consecutive regular-season games and owns a 177-point scoring differential over its opponents in that span. That’s the highest point margin in the NFL over that span by more than 80 points.

That included a 14-point win at Denver last December that snapped the Broncos' 11-game winning streak.

“I know they want some revenge," Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. "And coming off of a loss like last week, we’re going to get their best ball. We just got to go out there and execute, play to our standards and understand that we're playing a (ticked) off team, which is good because that challenges our standards.”

Jacksonville (1-0) at Denver (0-1)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS

Latest odds: Broncos by 2 1/2

Against the spread: Jaguars 1-0, Broncos 0-1.

Last week: Jaguars beat Browns 34-10; Broncos lost to Chiefs 31-10.

Last meeting: Jaguars beat Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High 34-20, on Dec. 21, 2025.

Series record: Tied 7-7.

Jaguars receiving corps versus Denver's defensive backs. This premier matchup pits Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr. and Josh Cameron against Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss, Ja'Quan McMillian and Jahdae Barron. Jacksonville's passing attack was strong against Cleveland but the real test comes Sunday when the Broncos try to bounce back from their poor performance at Kansas City.

-After tallying a franchise-record 68 sacks last season, the Broncos sacked Patrick Mahomes just twice in the opener. Both of those came from DE Zach Allen.

-With an extra point in the opener, Broncos K Wil Lutz became the third kicker to convert 100 consecutive PATs since the extra point was moved back to the 33-yard line in 2015, joining Justin Tucker and Tyler Bass.

-Broncos TE Evan Engram matched his 2025 total with a TD catch last week when he led Denver with 43 yards receiving. Engram spent the 2022-24 seasons with Jacksonville, totaling 234 catches for 2,094 yards and nine touchdown receptions.

-Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence threw four TD passes against the Browns last week and completed 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards for a 150.6 passer rating. Against Denver last December, Lawrence threw for 279 yards and three TDs and added a touchdown run.

-Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen had five tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery last week.

-Third-year LB Ventrell Miller led Jacksonville in Week 1 with nine tackles, a career-best two tackles for loss and his first career sack and forced fumble.

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With contributions from AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Florida.

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