Second-Half Showing vs. Jaguars Raises Concerns Over Broncos’ Offense

The Denver Broncos' offense was mostly ugly in the second half last week, and that's concerning with what lies ahead.

Dec 21, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) drops back to pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos need to take the time to reflect after this loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and study the film to rebound. The Broncos have been doubted all season long, which seemed to give them an edge.

However, after their win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 15, the Broncos appeared to lose that edge. 

The Broncos' defense has not been up to the standard since the team's Week 12 bye, and that has coincided with the offense getting in a groove with the passing game. Alas, penalties and a lack of running game have continued to be problematic. 

The Broncos' passing game has actually been good, consistent, and reliable since their mini-bye (between Week 10 and 11) after the awful game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football. The Broncos were finding big plays, sustaining long drives, and getting the job done. That came crashing down against the Jaguars in the second half. 

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!

Bo Nix's Atypical Performance

Dec 21, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) rushes the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Bo Nix's final stat line vs. the Jaguars was good, for the most part, with 352 yards on 28 completions and a touchdown. But when you dig into it, there should be a concern about how he performed in the second half. 

Before getting into that, Nix completed less than 60% of his passes, but only barely (59.6%). That came with 47 passing attempts, while the Broncos only ran the ball 17 times, with Nix accounting for four of them. The Broncos lacked a running game, but the way the game unfolded dictated that they had to pass. 

Make no mistake, though, Sean Payton once again went away from the running game earlier than he needed to, even though RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin both averaged over 7.0 yards per carry. Of those 13 runs where Nix wasn’t the ball-carrier, nine of them came in the first half. Denver went into the half down 17-10, but the offense scored on its first drive in the second half, tying it at 17. 

The game got out of control after that, with the Jaguars going up 24-17. Then a fumble by Nix gave Jacksonville the ball back, and the score got to 31-17. On nine plays out of 38, that isn’t good enough. Given how the defense was playing, Denver needed to play more ball control, and they didn’t. 

When you don’t have a run game, which has been a lingering issue all season, it means your quarterback has to play a clean and efficient game, and that didn’t come vs. the Jaguars. The first half was Cinderella-great from Nix, but he turned back into a pumpkin in the second half.

Not only did Nix have a bad fumble when he seemed indecisive on an RPO handoff, but he also had a bad interception. A failed trick play came from a late throw (not by Nix) that was underthrown, and it also hurt the Broncos' chances of keeping up. 

There were a lot of issues for the Broncos in this loss to the Jaguars. To be fair to Nix, he is way down the list of culprits, despite the turnovers.

The loss isn’t on Nix, even with the two interceptions, but the concern is how poorly he played in the second half, which was unusual, considering how good he's been in the fourth quarter this season. Denver will need the best out of him over the next two games and the playoffs shortly thereafter.