Broncos' Biggest Winners & Losers in Comeback Victory Over Jaguars

The Denver Broncos got it done against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

The Broncos balanced the scales — getting to 1-1 in the standings and avenging their late-season loss to Jacksonville last season with a 20-13 comeback win on Sunday. It honestly looked a lot like the Broncos' 2025 model, with a couple of new elements.

We'll talk more about the additions shortly.

With a big bounce-back win secured against a quality AFC opponent, the Broncos will turn their attention to Week 3's home matchup with the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. Before we get too ahead of ourselves, though, let's talk about the Broncos' biggest winners and losers from Week 2.

Winner: Davis Webb | OC

The beleaguered first-year offensive coordinator may have come a little bit short of full vindication after Week 1's shockingly bad game plan, but Sunday's showing was an encouraging leap in the right direction. Webb showed a much better command and presence of mind against the Jaguars, sticking to the run game, and taking some well-designed shots that resulted in multiple explosive plays for the offense.

Right before the game, we learned from Adam Schefter that the Broncos still had "a high level of confidence and comfort" in Webb, and he rewarded their support with a really good game plan against Jacksonville. If the Broncos had executed better, especially early on in the red zone, we'd be talking about a blowout win in the double digits.

The Broncos finished with 392 yards of total offense but their 36% third-down and 40% red-zone efficiency illustrate that Webb and company still have their work cut out for them.

Loser: J.K. Dobbins | RB

I feel for Dobbins. He ran hard on Sunday against a really good, stout Jaguars defense.

Alas, somewhere along the way — likely in the Broncos' failed series on the goal line where they started with 1st-and-Goal from the 1-yard line — Dobbins suffered a hamstring injury. We'll find out how serious it is, but he finished the day 36 yards rushing on 10 attempts, helping to keep the Broncos' offense balanced.

Winner: Jaylen Waddle | WR

In his first-ever regular-season game in front of the home crowd, Waddle also turned in his first 100-yard performance as a Bronco. Targeted 10 times, he finished with eight receptions for 138 yards, coming one tantalizing yard short of a touchdown on his long of the night — a 49-yard reception that set up that botched goal-line series with Dobbins that I just mentioned.

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

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The Broncos tallied several explosive passing plays on the day, and Waddle was on the receiving end of most of them. Fans got to see exactly why the Broncos were willing to give up a first- and third-round draft pick to acquire him via trade from the Miami Dolphins.

The exciting thing is, Waddle and the offense are just scratching the surface.

Loser: Nik Bonitto | OLB

Bonitto is on the loser's list through no fault of his own. On the Jaguars' first possession, he sacked Trevor Lawrence, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Alex Singleton. Then the yellow laundry flew when Riley Moss was flagged for illegal contact, erasing Bonitto's big game.

Bonitto and the Broncos literally lost out on that play, which is the only reason he's on this side of the winners/losers list. He had an excellent game, helping to keep the pressure steady on Lawrence throughout.

Although he earned two pressures, both of which were hits on Lawrence, Bonitto is still looking for his first sack of the season.

Winner: Jonah Coleman | RB

With RJ Harvey ruled out as a game-time decision, Coleman dressed again, and thank God he did because after Dobbins went down, the Broncos had no choice but to turn to their rookie running back.

Coleman did some hard-nosed running into the teeth of the Jaguars' defense, and he was rewarded by scoring the Broncos' go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was also the first touchdown of his career. His two best runs of the day came on the Broncos' final possession, when they were operating the four-minute offense, trying to run the clock out on the Jags.

On one play, Coleman turn the corner around the left side, rushing for 12 yards, and instead of seeking out contact that could have knocked him out of bounds and stopped the clock, he wisely just slid down on his rear end. He finished with a team-high 10 carries for 39 yards and caught all three of his targets for another 19 yards.

The Broncos knew they needed some Dobbins insurance, but they had to make a claim perhaps much earlier than they had hoped. Thankfully, Coleman came through and answered the bell.

Loser: Pat Bryant | WR

Bryant did not catch a pass, though he was targeted once. What landed him here was an unfortunate holding penalty that killed a promising Broncos drive.

In back-to-back weeks, Bryant has been penalized for holding. I love his zeal for blocking on the perimeter, but his penalties erase the good things he does, and risk him becoming a liability the Broncos won't want on the field.

If Bryant doesn't mind his technique, he could play himself out of the meaningful role he earned through his great training camp performance.

Winner: Riley Moss | CB

This one is close, but I ultimately have to label Moss one of the game's biggest winner because of his third-quarter interception. Bonitto forced an errant Lawrence throw, and Moss made him pay by picking it off.

That interception ended up being the turning point of the game, as the Broncos snatched the momentum, and never let it go. Moss also made several other key plays, including pass breakups and gotta-have-it tackles, but his penalty early on wiped out a potentially game-changing play.

It was the classic "grabby" technique beyond the five-yard threshold that got Moss busted. The ball didn't go his way on that play, but only because Bonitto strip-sacked Lawrence. It was all for naught.

Loser: Bo Nix | QB

I don't want to be too hard on Nix, because he played extremely well in the second half. But his red-zone interception, thrown off his back foot, is what lands him on this side of the winners/losers list.

Nix knows better than to play that loosey-goosey with his technique and decision-making in the red zone. I attribute it to the rust of him making just his second start since returning from the broken ankle that end his and the Broncos' 2025 season. And he may have been pressing a bit, just dying to make a play.

Nix has to be better than that. It wasn't all bad, though, as he made some huge throws throughout this game, and made use of his shiny new weapon with multiple explosive plays — the type of downfield strikes that this offense was missing in his first two years as a Bronco.

When the chips were down, Nix played his best ball. That's just his way. The Broncos are never out of it with him under center.

Make no mistake, the Broncos don't win this game without him. Do not doubt Bo Nix.

Winner: Troy Franklin | WR

Franklin made an amazing one-handed catch for 27 yards, where he had to dive and haul it in. It ended up being his only catch on two total targets, but it was great to see the third-year wideout make a big play.

With Bryant in danger of losing snap share to Franklin, this is a situation to monitor as Marvin Mims Jr. works back from his foot injury.

Winner: Zach Allen | DL

At times, Allen was a one-man wrecking crew. He generated a team-high four pressures, per Pro Football Focus, though he wasn't able to officially tally a sack.

Allen has started this season off with a bang, though, and could be in line for his best campaign yet.

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