The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered their first defeat of the 2026 season, a tough 20-13 defeat at Mile High Stadium to the Denver Broncos. Following a two-possession third-quarter lead, a frustrating second half in all three phases contributed to the loss.
Here’s everything you need to know from Jacksonville’s Week 2 defeat.
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In a game that began as a defensive slugfest, Jacksonville struck first to kick off the scoring. Following five straight punts by both offenses, the Jaguars offense put together a balanced 8-play, 72-yard touchdown drive featuring a 22-yard catch by Brian Thomas Jr. However, the highlight of the drive was a 32-yard deep ball to Parker Washington to move into the redzone. One play later, Bhayshul Tuten scored on a one-yard Wildcat carry to open the scoring.
The Denver offense added a quick field goal and seemed ready to take a halftime lead after a 76-yard Broncos drive. However, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix attempted a contested, high-point pass to Cortland Sutton on third down, resulting in a hard-fought Jourdan Lewis interception to end the drive.
A Cam Little field goal ended the half to extend the Jacksonville lead to 7.
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Halftime Stats:
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Score: 10-3 Jaguars
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First downs: 12-7 Jaguars
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Time of possession: 15:25 to 14:35 Broncos
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Third & Fourth Down Offense: 3/6 Jacksonville (50%), 1/6 Denver (16.7%)
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Defensive Sacks: 0 for Jacksonville, 2 for Denver
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Turnovers forced: 1 for Jacksonville, 0 for Denver
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Rushing yards: 31 to 32 Broncos
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Yards per rush: 3.1 YPC Jaguars vs 2.9 Broncos
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Passing yards: 122 to 156 Broncos
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Redzone: 1/1 Jacksonville (100%), 0/2 Denver (0%)
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Penalties: 2 for 15-yards Jaguars, 6 for 35-yards Denver
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Points off turnovers: 3 points Jacksonville, 0 points Denver
QB Trevor Lawrence ended the half 12/17 for 138 yards (8.1 avg), and a 94.7 passer rating, while RB Bhayshul Tuten led Jacksonville with five carries for 16 yards (3.2 YPC), and a touchdown.
Following the half, both teams traded opening drive field goals, and the Jacksonville offense suffered its first turnover of the day – a seemingly predetermined throw from Trevor Lawrence to Parker Washington, resulting in a Riley Moss interception.
The Denver offense immediately made Jacksonville pay for the turnover, putting together a 10-play, 64-yard touchdown drive that took 4:46 off the clock. The Jaguars struggled to defend Denver’s multiple-tight-end formations, allowing the Broncos to consistently move the ball.
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After Denver’s touchdown, Jacksonville’s offense began to unravel. Brian Thomas Jr. dropped a pass, Trevor Lawrence narrowly avoided an interception on third down, and Cam Little missed a field goal. The struggles continued on the other side of the ball, as the Jaguars once again failed to force a third down while Denver marched 56 yards on just five plays to take its first lead with 7:21 remaining.
From there, Jacksonville’s offense could barely sustain a drive, while the Broncos continued to roll. Denver scored 17 unanswered points following the Jaguars’ third-quarter interception, completely flipping the game as Jacksonville struggled to find an answer on either side of the ball.
Live blog:
Recap each of the big plays and real-time reactions from tonight’s game in our live blog!
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Favorite Highlight:
Jourdan Lewis climbing the latter to end the scoring drive was dominant.
Biggest play(s) of the game:
According to rbsdm.com, the biggest play of the game by Expected Points Added (-4.3 EPA) and Win Probability (-15%) was the Jourdan Lewis interception.
Key stats (traditional):
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QB Trevor Lawrence: 17/29 for 189 yards (6.5 avg), 1 int, 63.7 passer rating
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WR Parker Washington: 7 catches for 98-yards (14.0 avg), on 12 targets
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RB Bhayshul Tuten: 13 carries for 65 yards (5 YPC), 1 TD
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LB Foye Oluokun: 7 tackles, 5 solo
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CB Jourdan Lewis: 4 tackles (all solo), 1 interception
Notable statistical gaps:
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Time of possession: 31:17 to 28:43 Denver
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Defensive Sacks: 2 to 0 Denver
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Rushing yards: 104 to 95 Denver
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Passing yards: 392 to 268 Denver
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Redzone: Denver 2/5 to Jacksonville 1/2
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Penalties: 4 penalties for 40-yards for Jacksonville vs 10 for 53-yards for Denver
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Turnovers forced: Tied 1-1
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Points off turnovers: 3 points Jacksonville, 7 points Denver
View the full box score here
Game balls:
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Special Teams: Logan Cooke – 4 punts, 46.3 avg, a long of 55-yards
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Defense: LB Foye Oluokun – 7 tackles, 5 solo
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Offense: WR Parker Washington – 7 catches for 98-yards (14.0 avg) on 12 targets
1. OL Struggles
While the Broncos’ defensive line ended Sunday with just two sacks, it felt like much more as Lawrence struggled to get comfortable in the pocket for much of the game. Both tackles struggled, along with the interior offensive line.
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2. A Team Loss
Brian Thomas Jr. suffered two clear drops while struggling to get free from Riley Moss for much of the game. On a third-down deep ball, while down by seven, Thomas failed to make a play on the ball or jump into the contact to force a penalty. LeQuint Allen also had a drop. Cam Little missed a second-half field goal, and the defense struggled to get off the field just once in the second half.
3. Davon Hamilton‘s Back
With his serious 2023 history of a back abscess and the lack of stout depth at nose tackle, the Davon Hamilton injury has the potential to be huge. That will be one to watch moving forward.
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4. Dennis Gardeck‘s Solid Day
Despite the loss, I thought it notable that Gardeck had a quality performance in this one. In the first half he had a third-down quarterback pressure to force the first Denver punt and he also had a shoestring tackle of JK Dobbins on what looked like a huge run, otherwise. In the second he flashed again on Denver’s opening drive, with his second third-down quarterback hit (and pressure) to force a Broncos field goal.
As a note, the following Jacksonville players left Sunday’s game due to injury:
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DT Davon Hamilton left the game late (back) and did not return
Inactives
For the Jaguars:
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QB Quinn Ewers
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WR CJ Williams
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S Jalen Huskey
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LB Jack Kiser
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DE Wesley Williams
The active/inactive list was somewhat interesting, as it featured four 2026 draft picks (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th round picks), plus a 2025 4th round pick, all made inactive Sunday. Quarterback Quinn Ewers continues to acclimate and learn the offense after the preseason trade. Nick Mullens was, again, activated from the practice squad in the interim.
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For the Broncos, the inactive list was headlined by Denver’s starting punt and kick returners, WR Marvin Mims Jr and RB RJ Harvey.
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RB RJ Harvey
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WR Marvin Mims Jr
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QB Sam Ehlinger
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G Kage Casey
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TE Dallen Bentley
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DE Tyler Onyedim
What are your thoughts from tonight’s game, Jaguars fans? Let it out in the comments.
