Jaguars Week 2 Grades: The Secondary Has Some Tough Questions to Answer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The grades will not be as pretty this week.

After a dominant Week 1 where the Jacksonville Jaguars seemed to do no wrong, things went a lot differently in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos.

The Jaguars had the Broncos on the ropes after the first half and got out to a 13-3 lead in the third-quarter, but the Broncos roared back with 17 unanswered points to beat the Jaguars 20-13 and drop the Jaguars to 1-1. So, which position groups were up to the task Sunday, and which left a lot of room to improve? We break it down below.

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

QB: C

It was a tale of two halves for Trevor Lawrence. The outside passing game just was not there for the Jaguars, and Lawrence played a big role in that. There were just too many plays near the sideline where Lawrence struggled with his accuracy, and then he had his brutal interception to Riley Moss. Lawrence was fantastic at the end of the first half and to start the second half, but the final few drives of the game were not winning football.

RB: C-

It wasn't a perfect day for the Jaguars' running back room, with Chris Rodriguez Jr. having a below-average day in terms of efficiency but with Bhayshul Tuten on the other end. Tuten did enough to keep the Jaguars ahead of the chains when he was at his best to earn some high marks, but the Jaguars' running backs struggled in the passing game as well and did not generate enough explosives to earn a higher grade. Tuten played well, but the room did not as a whole.

WR: C-

Parker Washington had a very productive game for the Jaguars, but otherwise it was a rough day for the receiver room. Brian Thomas had two costly drops and did not make enough big plays to offset them, while Jakobi Meyers, Josh Cameron, and Travis Hunter combined for one target. The Jaguars' receivers will have to be much more productive if the team hopes to hit their offensive ceiling this season.

TE: C+

I thought the Jaguars' tight ends did a solid job blocking upon rewatch, but the Jaguars only had three targets officially go to the tight end room after there was an offsides penalty on the only target Nate Boerkircher saw on the day. The Jaguars' tight end room has been a bit of an afterthought when it comes to the Jaguars' passing game through the first few weeks, and that will have to change moving forward.

OL: D

The Jaguars' offensive line had one of their worst performances of the Liam Coen era, with Coen stating on Monday that he thought the offensive line "took turns" losing blocks as opposed to one sole player getting beat throughout the game. They did some decent things in the running game, but they were so overwhelmed against the Broncos' pass-rush that it is hard to give them any grade higher than this one.

DL: C-

The Jaguars did not record any sacks and only had three quarterback hits of Bo Nix, but it was worth noticing how frequently the Broncos checked the ball down and got Bo Nix on the move with play-action and bootlegs. Still, there were not enough quick wins in the pass-rush department and the Jaguars got no real push from the interior. With that all said, the Jaguars did get a good performance out of their defensive line when it came to their run defense.

LB: C-

I thought the Jaguars' linebackers, like the defensive line, did some really good things against the run. At the same time, they clearly had some issues in the passing game, especially with second-year linebacker Branson Combs. Combs is supposed to be the linebacker the Jaguars can trust when he is on the field on passing downs, but he had some legit struggles against the Broncos.

CB: D+

Jourdan Lewis recorded an impressive interception in the red-zone to keep the Jaguars' cornerback room from getting a lower grade than this, but it was a rough day from the cornerbacks. Jourdan Lewis, Montaric Brown, and Jarrian Jones each gave up some big plays, while Travis Hunter was hit with a key DPI at the end of the game to help secure the loss.

Safety: C

I thought Antonio Johnson made a few decent stops, but Eric Murray had a missed tackle and neither player was able to make an impact play in coverage or against the run to really change fortunes for the Jaguars' defense. After a good showing against the Browns, the safety room was much quieter this week against the Broncos.

STs: C-

The Jaguars did a good job in terms of punt coverage, but that was about it on special teams. They were better on kick returns but still allowed an explosive return, Cam Little missed a field goal, and the Jaguars did not get much doing in terms of either the punt or kick return game. The Jaguars' special teams unit has not been a diffence-maker to this point.

Coaching: C-

I am of the opinion that most games during the Liam Coen era have seen the Jaguars outcoach the opposing teams on both sides of the ball. Sunday's loss to the Broncos felt like one of the first times the Jaguars were outcoached both on offense and defense in the same contest, though some credit has to go to the team for starting fast enough to get off to a 13-3 lead that would have been 17-3 had the Jaguars not stalled in the redzone. That is what keeps this from being a failing grade, but the lack of adjustments to Denver's pass-rush and the explosive plays given up in the air still loom large.

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