5 Defensive Matchups That Will Make or Break Broncos-Jaguars

The Denver Broncos have some tough matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars' offense.

Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga (9) reacts against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars' offense is surging, and it comes at a time when the Denver Broncos' defense has shown more cracks in its coverage than earlier in the season. The Broncos will need to be more consistent throughout the game, though they rank 12th in EPA/play in the first half and third in the second, highlighting the adjustments Vance Joseph makes. 

There is a concern that the Jaguars' offense can do enough early to make things more difficult in the second half, so that Denver will need a good start. If the Broncos can keep the Jaguars out of the end zone, as they did earlier against the Green Bay Packers, that should lead to success. 

For the Broncos' defense to succeed, they will need their stars to have big games. The Jaguars match up well against this defense in terms of their weapons vs. coverage, but the Broncos have the advantage up front.

These five matchups focus on those defensive stars. 

Broncos' OLBs vs. Jaguars' OTs

The two tackles for the Jaguars have allowed 65 total pressures this season, with Walker Little accounting for 39 of them. While the Jaguars haven’t faced the toughest matchups for most of their season, when they have faced great edge duos, they've had terrible games. 

The advantage is clearly in Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper's favor, with both of them being able to attack a weakness of the tackles. Bonitto should face Little for the majority of the game, with Cooper handling Anton Harrison. One thing, though: both pass rushers, especially Cooper, will need to be disciplined with their rush lanes to keep Trevor Lawrence in the pocket. 

Talanoa Hufanga vs. Jaguars' Offense 

Hufanga has been an outstanding signing for the Broncos, but he has had two bad games in their last three. While he still makes big plays, the snap-to-snap consistency and reliability haven’t been there. 

Denver has a tough matchup with the Jaguars' weapons, and Liam Coen is doing an excellent job of creating favorable matchups for Lawrence. Denver needs Hufanga to be on point all game long and be that chess piece that eliminates. 

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

DL Zach Allen vs. OG Patrick Mekari 

Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen (99) reacts against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Mekari is a good run blocker, and Allen has some issues there, so Denver needs him to hold up. If Allen can’t, Denver may need to adjust the matchups for obvious run downs and rushing situations. 

However, in the passing game, Allen vs. Markai is so much in Denver's favor that it is almost unfair. Allen only has six sacks, but he has another season with at least 40 quarterback hits, and he creates devastating disruption in the backfield. 

CB Patrick Surtain II vs. WR Jakobi Meyers

The Jaguars' offense had a missing piece, and that seemed to be Meyers, as the offense has been surging since he was traded to Jacksonville. Meyers had a lot of success against the Broncos during his time with the Las Vegas Raiders, and they can’t let him take over this game. 

Denver should match Surtain on Meyers all game long and rely on their star corner to shut Meyers down. The Jaguars have plenty of other threats, and it’ll stress the different corners, but if Surtain can shut Meyers down, it’ll enable Denver to give more help to those other corners. 

CB Riley Moss vs. WR Brian Thomas Jr. 

Moss is having a lot of issues, and I'm not even talking about the penalties. As he has worked hard to stop grabbing and holding defenders, he has lost his man in coverage more often, creating a window for a big play. 

Thomas is a big play waiting to happen, and he has found more consistency after a terrible start to the season. Moss has to be cautious not to get penalized, but he has to avoid losing his man in coverage. Denver may need to keep a safety over the top to help Moss handle Thomas.