1 Jaguars Defender Broncos HC Sean Payton Needs to Fear

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in for an intense challenge in Week 16's matchup with the Denver Broncos. The offense will have its work cut out for it trying to exploit one of the top defenses in the entire league. The Broncos rank in the top five in both points and yards allowed per game this year.

Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., and the newly extended Jakobi Meyers will have to show up big time. Denver's offense isn't considered the strength of its team, but it's become pretty underrated at this point. Despite some brutal stinkers, the Broncos are quietly a top-12 attack in both yards and points per game.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, New York Jets, Jarrian Jones, Montaric Brown — Dec 14, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown (30) and cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) react after an interception against the New York Jets during the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

Montaric Brown could be a difference-maker versus Broncos

The Denver Broncos' offense is definitely more capable than advertised. They've had some highly discouraging performances, like their 13 points against the New York Jets, 18 on the Houston Texans, and 10 points versus the Las Vegas Raiders. However, like Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bo Nix and this Denver offense have found a groove lately, averaging nearly 27 a game in their last four, including 34 in a win over the Green Bay Packers their last time out.

However, the Jaguars' defense is plenty capable of taking away the Broncos' primary strengths on that side of the ball. They can shut down opposing ground games all season, get pressure with four, and force erratic quarterbacks into bad turnovers. Nix is 11th in the NFL with nine interceptions this year.

Sean Payton said the Jaguars have “really good ball skills,” in reference to their ability to generate turnovers.

“There are some weeks we play corners that can’t catch … a corner that can’t catch, we’re going to throw jump-balls to.”

This is not one of those weeks. pic.twitter.com/s4rKmQdcM5
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) December 17, 2025

One of the bright spots in Nix's game is his deep ball and his penchant for taking chances with one-on-one matchups on the boundary. However, Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton is well aware of the Jaguars' ability to get takeaways on defense and the ball skills in their secondary. One of the players he's worried about is rising cornerback Montaric "Buster" Brown. Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile spoke on what makes him special:

What an interception by Montaric Brown pic.twitter.com/938uQOYwZn
— Dark Pissed Off Liam (@jhorge_d) December 14, 2025

"He’s aggressive. That’s one of his best qualities. He’s aggressive at the line of scrimmage, he’s aggressive at the catch point, he’s a tough physical kid... Buster will come up, he’ll tackle you, he’ll hit you. You guys have seen that, and he’ll challenge you on the line of scrimmage... He just keeps competing. Something bad happens, he just keeps playing, and you really need to have that kind of mentality as a defensive back. You’ve got to have amnesia. If ever that’s the case, if he doesn’t make a play, he comes right back and plays as hard as he possibly can."

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