The Good, Bad and Ugly From Jaguars' Stellar Win Over Broncos

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars made their biggest statement of the season on Sunday, taking down the Denver Broncos 34-20 in a thrilling road win.

But what were the true highs and lows of the Jaguars' successful conquest of the Broncos? We break it down below.

The Good

The Statement

Dec 21, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Simply put, the Jaguars can no longer be ignored. All week long the narrative was that the Broncos' defense was the 1985 Chicago Bears and would give the Jaguars a test they weren't ready for. Instead, the Jaguars' offense stayed red-hot and scored a season-high 34 points on the Broncos' highly-rated defense.

The Jaguars are on the map. It is no fluke, it is no stretch against just inferior opponents. It is very real, and the Jaguars let the Broncos and the rest of the NFL know that this is a truth that can't be disputed on Sunday.

The Bad

The Explosive Plays Allowed

Dec 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (12) runs for a gain during the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Jaguars' defense did a fantastic job at making the key plays on Sunday, forcing the Broncos off the field time and time again on third-down and making two different massive fourth-down stops. With that said, the only reason the Broncos were in the game at all was because the Jaguars kept allowing their offense to hit explosive plays.

The Jaguars allowed seven plays of 20 yards or more, including four different plays that went over 30 yards. It came through the air and the ground, and was due to both missed tackles and missed assignments. The Jaguars' defense did well to bend and not break, but a little less bending probably would have been ideal.

The Ugly

The Injuries

Jacksonville Jaguars center Robert Hainsey (73) is introduced before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Colts 36-19. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The only thing that happened to the Jaguars that would qualify in this category is how banged up the Jaguars seemingly became by the end of the game. The Jaguars have finally gotten healthy over the last few weeks sans a few names, but they certainly left with their own fair share of bumps and bruises after Week 16.

Cornerbacks Greg Newsome and Montaric Brown were both injured at one point but returned to the game. The concerning injuries are the ones that occured to cornerback Jourdan Lewis, center Robert Hainsey, and right guard Patrick Mekari. Lewis and Hainsey in particular are key to the Jaguars' success, and Jacksonville will be hoping for some good news on this week's injury report as they prepare for the Indianapolis Colts.

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