4 Matchups That Will Decide Jaguars’ Week 2 Showdown Against Broncos

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- For the Jacksonville Jaguars to get off to their first 2-0 start since 2018, it will be all about matchups.

Matchups are what helped the Jaguars roll over the Cleveland Browns with ease a week ago, and matchups are exactly what will determine the Jaguars' success against the Denver Broncos in Week 2.

So, which matchups do we think will play the biggest part in deciding the matchup with the Broncos? We break it down below.

Jaguars WR Parker Washington vs. Broncos CB Ja'Quan McMillian

Dec 21, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington (11) reacts after making a touchdown catch against the Denver Broncos during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I think we see a decent amount of 11 personnel from the Jaguars on Sunday, especially to open the game. The Broncos, to me, do not have the cornerback trio that can effectively hang with the Jaguars' starting receivers when they are all onb the field at once, which is exactly why the Jaguars have built the receiver room the way they have.

Patrick Surtain II will likely be on Brian Thomas Jr. for a decent amount of snaps, while Riley Moss and Jakobi Meyers seems like a natural matchup on the other side. For the snaps that Parker Washington is in the slot, he will likely draw Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian. Washington took advantage of the slot matchup last week against the Cleveland Browns, and while McMillian is a better cornerback than the Browns' options to cover Washington, this is still a matchup that favors the Jaguars.

Jaguars DL Travon Walker vs. Broncos IOL

Travon Walker lined up at defensive tackle quite a bit in last year's meeting against the Broncos, and I think he could be a fixture there again on passing downs. Since the Broncos were so overly pass-happy in Week 1 (68.1% pass rate, No. 4 in NFL), it stands to reason that we could see quite a few snaps with Walker lining up over the Broncos' guards and centers on Sunday. Walker has been a fixture in that role for the Jaguars all offseason and summer, and he played quite a few snaps there in Week 1 as well.

“I thought he wreaked some havoc, especially early on in the game. I think those guys all were doing a nice job rushing and affecting the quarterback at times. He can be a savage when he really wants to be," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said this week. "When he's going and he's staying low and coming off the rock and not hesitating or kind of waiting for the set, and just going and causing havoc, he can be that way. I was pleased to see that show up in Week 1, especially, and to see some of the coverage in the front match each other. And we have obviously have a huge challenge this week because I think Denver's got one of the better offensive lines in the NFL as well.”

If Walker can become a mismatch problem for the Jaguars over the course of Sunday's game, he could have the Jaguars' defense set up to perfectly counter what the Broncos want to do on offense. If Bo Nix is not being put on the move as much as last year, like they did in Week 1, this could mean big production for Walker.

Jaguars LT Anton Harrison vs. Broncos EDGE Nik Bonitto

Nik Bonitto did not have a fast start to the 2026 season with just one pressure on 18 pass rushes against the Kansas City Chiefs, and he will now have to face an offensive tackle in Anton Harrison who certainly looks like he is ascending. Harrison allowed just one pressure on 25 pass-blocking plays against the Cleveland Browns, shutting out new Browns defensive end Jared Verse in the process.

Harrison will be key to the Jaguars slowing down Bonitto not just because of the fact that it is his second NFL start at left tackle, but because the Jaguars are also unlikely to get the ball out of Trevor Lawrence's hands quite as quickly as Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs did on Monday Night Football. The Chiefs had, by far, the quickest time to throw in Week 1 at 2.27 seconds. For comparison, the Jaguars' time to throw against the Broncos in Week 16 last season was 3.12 seconds, per NextGenStats.

Jaguars CB Jourdan Lewis vs. Broncos WR Jaylen Waddle

The Broncos acquired one of the NFL's most explosive receivers with their offseason trade for Jaylen Waddle, but it surely did not produce many quick results in Week 1. Waddle caught one pass for two yards on three targets despite playing 75% of the offensive snaps. Part of that had to do with the way the Broncos deployed him, and part of it had to do with Bo Nix, but one can probably ascertain that the Broncos might try to force feed their new weapon the ball at some point.

Should that point come against Jaguars veteran nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who is the Jaguars' primary slot cornerback, then the Jaguars will have to be ready with answers. Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile knows exactly what Waddle can do after the two were with the Miami Dolphins for a few years, and it will be up to his plan and Lewis' execution to make it happen.

“He's a hell of a player," Campanile said about Waddle earlier this week. "Extremely hard worker, but a really good player overall. Great in and out of the breaks, line of scrimmage and really hard to tackle after the catch so he gives them a guy that can stretch the field a little bit, a guy that's caught the ball over the middle of the field throughout the course of his career. And like I said, a guy that can do things after the catch with the ball.”

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