The Denver Broncos reached the AFC Championship game last year but left much to be desired in the 2026 season opener. Their offense struggled to put points on the scoreboard, and the defense couldn't contain Patrick Mahomes and star running back Kenneth Walker III. That's great news for the Jacksonville Jaguars, their opponents in Week 2.
Whereas the Jags are off to a strong start to 2026, Denver doesn't look like the playoff team it was last season. Their defense, in particular, looked underwhelming against the Chiefs. And one dreadful stat shows the Jacksonville offense could have a massive edge when these two interdivisional foes meet at Empower Field Stadium at Mile High.
The Jaguars will face a Broncos defense that missed tackles at a history rate
The Broncos lost 31-10 in the opener. One big reason was their inability to tackle. They missed 28 tackles (for a missed tackle rate of 29.8) for 248 yards. Basically, the Denver defense missed nearly one in every three tackle attempts.
The 29.8 percent rate was also the third-worst since 2018. However you look at it, that's not great news for the Broncos. Sure, there's a strong chance they're not going to be nearly as dreadful when they face the Jaguars, but that's most definitely a weakness that can be exploited, especially when you take into account that sophomore running back Bhayshul Tuten's seven broken tackles led the league in missed tackles in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus.
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The Jaguars are ready to build off their Week 1 showing when they face the Broncos
The Jaguars' offense was firing on all cylinders in Week 1, scoring 28 points and totaling 360 yards. Trevor Lawrence had no trouble moving the football and finding his receivers. Similarly, running back Bhayshul Tuten was able to grind yards on the ground. The fact that Jacksonville was able to run two-tight-end sets as it envisioned was most definitely part of the offensive success against an overmatched Browns team. Don't expect that to change against Denver.
While the Jags may not be able to score 30 points every week, they should still match up favorably against the Broncos on offense. While they have an All-Pro corner in Patrick Surtain, a top-notch defensive tackle in Zach Allen, and bookend linebackers in Jonah Ellis and Nik Bonitto, Jacksonville has the firepower to counter them.
There's also the fact that Broncos head coach Sean Payton called the Jaguars a small-market team before their 2025 game. Even though Payton says he meant that as praise, you can bet that Liam Coen will remind his team and use that as bulletin-board material.
Sure, the Jaguars cannot take the Broncos lightly, but when you add it all up, they have a favorable matchup in Week 2 even though they'll be the visiting team.
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