Broncos 20, Jaguars 13: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

It wasn't always pretty, but the Denver Broncos got it done on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Broncos bounced back from their pathetic opening-week showing to defeat the Jaguars on Sunday, 20-13. Sean Payton told Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, "I'm coming for you this year," and he was true to his word.

Payton balanced the scales with Coen and the standings. At 1-1, the Broncos are now in much better shape to weather the storm of the next six weeks.

As we sift through the aftermath of the Broncos' first win of the 2026 season, we're breaking down the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good: Broncos' Defense

Riley Moss celebrates an interception against the Jaguars. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Vance Joseph's unit rebounded with gusto after its historically bad first-game tackling performance. No defense is ever going to be perfect in tackling — as the other team gets paid, too — but the Broncos were very sharp in this department against the Jaguars.

The missed tackles, as a theme, was put in the rear-view as the Broncos held the high-flying Jaguars' offense to just 268 total yards. Trevor Lawrence had a pedestrian day — just 189 passing yards — as Zach Allen and the Broncos' pass rush kept steady pressure on the Jaguars' quarterback.

Bhayshul Tuten emerged from Week 1 with the second-most broken tackles, but the Broncos coralled him at Mile High, limiting the talented running back to just 65 yards rushing. It was a complementary performance on defense, highlighted by Riley Moss's third-quarter interception, a result of some Nik Bonitto pressure on Lawrence.

Riley Moss picks it off!

JAXvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/tefsQpqaZO
— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Moss's pick was the turning-point moment in this game, as the Broncos put a stranglehold on the momentum, and never let go. Hats off to Coach Joseph and the players for answering the bell after last week's forgettable debut.

The Bad: Penalties

Sean Payton looks on from the sideline. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Broncos were penalized 10 times for 53 yards, and several of them were real daggers. One, a Moss defensive holding foul, erased a Bonitto strip-sack (recovered by Alex Singleton) on Jacksonville's opening possession. Later, Patrick Surtain II was called for the same foul, wiping out a Jonah Elliss sack.

On offense, the Broncos had several pre-snap penalties, which consistently put them behind the sticks through the first three quarters. Denver's self-inflicted wounds put the Jaguars in the driver's seat until Moss's fateful interception, but there's a silver lining.

In all honesty, the Broncos should have blown out the Jaguars, but they kept shooting themselves in the foot. Once the Broncos get ahold of themselves and cut down on the penalites and negative plays, this team can really take flight.

The Ugly: Bo Nix's Red-Zone Interception

I could also point to Denver's third-down and red-zone efficiency, but Nix's terrible interception takes the cake as the ugliest aspect of this game. It deprived the Broncos of some badly needed points and kept the Jaguars in control.

An INCREDIBLE high-point INT by Jourdan Lewis for the @Jaguars

Bo Nix wants that one back pic.twitter.com/AUaz5UxJjx
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 20, 2026

The worst part was that Nix's interception came with him throwing off his back foot. It was inexcusable, and it simply can't happen again.

Now, that being said, Nix played very well, all things considered. The Jaguars have an excellent defense, but Nix gashed them with some huge plays downfield, most of which were big completions to Jaylen Waddle, including the biggest passing play of the game, a 49-yard strike that put the Broncos on the Jaguars' 1-yard line.

Jaylen Waddle gets his first big play as a Bronco! 🐧

JAXvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/FAioYbx0Fs
— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Alas, the Broncos couldn't punch it in on the goal line, despite three heroic attempts by J.K. Dobbins. But offensive coordinator Davis Webb, whom the Broncos publicly backed all week, stuck doggedly to the ground game this week, and it paid dividends.

Not only did the Broncos eclipse 100 yards rushing as a team, but it wore down the Jaguars and kept the secondary on its heels where Nix was able to make them pay through the play-action game. He finished 22-of-31 for 288 yards, a touchdown, and a rating of 97.2.

Perhaps most importantly, Nix saved his best play for the clutch. Once again, he was stellar in the fourth quarter, ensuring the Broncos were able to capitalize on Moss's interception, and making several big plays to ice the game.

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