These 2 Drives Defined the Jaguars' Failure to Launch Against the Broncos

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If football is a game of inches, then it will not be hard to find the inches where the Jacksonville Jaguars came up short in Week 2.

The Jaguars had the perfect chance to knock off the Denver Broncos in Week 2, but they let a 13-3 second-half lead get away from them and ended up with a 20-13 loss after allowing 17 unanswered points.

When games go down that way, there is plenty of blame to go around. But for the Jaguars, we can look back on two offensive drives that defined why the Jaguars lost the game and missed out on a chance to start 2-0.

liam coe — Sep 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen on the sidelines 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

Drive No. 1

The first drive that saw the Jaguars fail to really put the Broncos away came on the first drive of the second-half. The Jaguars came out hot and moved the ball 45 yards and to the Broncos' 24 yard line after just three plays. After a few more plays and a Broncos penalty, the Jaguars got the ball on first-and-goal from the Bronc's three-yard line.

The next three plays saw Chris Rodriguez Jr. lose two yards on a run, Bhayshul Tuten gain zero yards on a checkdown pass, and then a pass attempt to LeQuint Allen at the goal line fell incomplete. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said after the game the Jaguars would have gone for it on fourth down had Allen caught the pass, but they instead kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 13-3. The Jaguars would not score again.

“Settling for three on that first drive up out of the half was disappointing. I thought it was a little bit of a missed opportunity at putting some pressure on them to potentially go up 17-3, and then maybe you apply a little bit more pressure, make them throw it a little bit more," Coen said after the game. "I thought we had a little momentum when we hit the dagger to [WR] Jakobi [Meyers] on the explosive, and then we end up stalling out and missing the field goal there, so really it comes down to in all three phases in the second half, specifically, the fourth quarter. We just didn't win. We didn't win it. We didn't coach it good enough. We didn't play it good enough, and we did not finish.”

Drive No. 2

The next time the Jaguars got the ball, the score was 13-6 and they needed to put together another scoring drive for some breathing room. Thanks to an offside penalty on Nik Bonitto, the Jaguars started the drive off with a 1st-and-5 from their own 32. The Jaguars would then manage to get the ball to a 3rd-and-6 at the 50-yard line, with just six yards in between them and another potential scoring drive.

But this time, the Jaguars once again folded on a critical down as Trevor Lawrence threw a back-breaking interception at Broncos cornerback Riley Moss. Lawrence tried to force the ball to No. 1 receiver Parker Washington, and Moss made him pay for it.

Riley Moss picks it off!

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— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

“I was trying to throw a hole shot in Cover-2 and [Broncos CB] Riley] Moss did a good job of kind of carrying [WR] Parker [Washington] up the field. Obviously was just making a quick decision. I saw then go to Cover-2, and I thought we’d have the sideline shot at Parker between the corner and safety," Lawrence said after the game. "He did a good job, he carried him. So right when I let it go, I saw him keep running and turn his eye, so I didn’t have a great feeling right when I let it go. But yes, I was trying to take a shot there and get one to Parker there on the third down. It didn’t go our way and definitely want that one back.”

The Broncos got the ball at their own 36 and managed to drive the ball down the field for the game-tying touchdown. A drive later, the Broncos went up 20-13 and the Jaguars never recovered, falling victim to two bites at the apple that simply did not pan out.

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