The Denver Broncos finally dropped a game, and unfortunately, it came in a high-stakes game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since coming out of the bye week, the Broncos’ defense has taken a step back, and it finally hurt them in Sunday’s disappointing loss.
Denver Broncos defense gashed by Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
For a large portion of this season, the Broncos’ defense was the NFL’s best third-down and red zone unit, but the inverse took place in Sunday’s disappointing home loss to the Jaguars.
The Broncos defense gave up chunk plays on first down and on third down, to the tune where the Jaguars offense converted (8-of-15) on third down as Trevor Lawrence carved Denver with big plays to Parker Washington, who had
In the red zone, the Broncos allowed the Jaguars to go 4-of-5, leading to Denver giving up a season-high 34 points
Denver’s defense struggled with wrapping up, taking good angles against the run, and pressure at times didn’t get home when they needed it to. On top of that, several Jaguars scoring drives were aided by poor calls, but the reality was simple on Sunday — the Broncos didn’t get enough stops when it mattered most.
The loss ends their 11-game winning streak and drops them to 12-3 on the season, with two games remaining. A short turnaround awaits on Christmas Day when they travel to take on the Kansas City Chiefs and then come back to host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18.
After today’s loss, the pressure is on Denver a little bit, considering the cruciality of playoff seeding, winning the division, etc.
For Payton’s team, the focus shifts to trying to correct the fundamental issues that plagued them on Sunday and turn that into a win on the road on Thursday on a short week.
Offensively, the Broncos’ offense struggled on third down, converting 4-of-13 attempts despite accumulating over 400+ yards of offense. Bo Nix threw an interception, and he and Jaleel McLaughlin botched an exchange that resulted in two total turnovers for that side of the ball. Simply put, the Broncos dug themselves into a hole they couldn’t get out of.
To make matters worse, inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ruled out quickly in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury, and wide receiver Pat Bryant took a hard hit across the middle of the field in the final 30 seconds of the game and was carted off the field on a stretcher and backboard.
We’ll provide an update if head coach Sean Payton has anything to share in his post-game press conference.