Jaguars Have Secret Weapon to Slow Down Broncos' Pass Rush

The Jacksonville Jaguars face a tall task trying to slow down Nik Bonitto and the rest of the Denver Broncos' pass rush.

Sep 19, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Detailed view of the football jersey of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) against the Denver Broncos at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are facing an uphill climb in Week 16. This team has a ton of momentum behind it after rattling off five straight wins to climb to the top of the division and position itself within arm's reach of the No. 1 seed in the AFC. However, the Jaguars will have to upset the Denver Broncos on the road if they want to maintain their grip on the AFC South crown and potentially steal the first-round bye.

This won't be an easy task. Leading the conference at 12-2, the Broncos represent the toughest opponent the Jaguars have seen in a while. The defense will be a great litmus test to see if Trevor Lawrence and this offense are playoff-ready. Time will tell if Jacksonville is up to the challenge.

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange (85) is introduced 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

Can the Jaguars slow down the Broncos' pass rush?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have seen some elite pass rushes this season. They've faced Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. with the Houston Texans, Demarcus Lawrence and Byron Murphy with the Seattle Seahawks, and Jared Verse and Byron Young with the Los Angeles Rams. However, they haven't had a great mark against those units, having gone 1-3 in those matchups.

However, this offense is in a different groove since those games. Only the Texans beat the Jaguars with Jakobi Meyers downfield, and it was his first game with Jacksonville, in which he still played a limited number of snaps. The offensive line has undergone significant reshuffling as well. Perhaps most importantly, the Jags didn't have Brenton Strange available for any of the losses, while he did play in Jacksonville's win over the Texans in Week 3.

Run game really missed Brenton strange. Just removes the lb pic.twitter.com/ONsDzpw783

— whirlybird (@HashTaguars) December 9, 2025

Head Coach Liam Coen spoke on how the starting tight end should be a great help against Nik Bonitto and the Denver Broncos' elite defense: "Yeah, with their ability to play in split safeties and then also getting a single high and [Talanoa Hufanga] being able to come and show down and blitz and just do a lot of different things."

"And so if you can have a tight end or multiple tight ends, be able to create a matchup issue or help us in the run game, help us also in protections, whether it's in dropback or play action and then utilize that person at the first, second level of the defense is definitely helpful against the team that mixes up, whether they play man or match or vision zone. So, something that, definitely, we appreciate about his game."

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