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Jeff Legwold
DENVER — The Broncos’ defense had fueled much of the team’s 11-game winning streak heading into Sunday’s game with the Jacksonville Jaguars, thanks in large part to being the NFL’s best unit on third down and in the red zone.
They struggled in both areas in a 34-20 loss at Empower Field at Mile High. The Jaguars went 8-of-15 (53.3%) on third down and scored touchdowns on four of their five red zone possessions, a big reason why Denver lost for the first time since Week 3. Even a five-sack night, which helped the Broncos tie a single-season franchise record with 63, felt rather empty.
«Respectfully, I know I’m a good player and I’ve got to find ways to be more effective,» said Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto, who entered Sunday leading the Broncos with 12.5 sacks but finished with only two tackles. «… I played ass today, I don’t think I played to my standards, I think I could have been a lot better, I didn’t come ready to play today and it kind of reflected on the rest of the defense.»
RJ Harvey scored on a 38-yard, tackle-breaking run just under two minutes into the third quarter to tie the game at 17-17, the Broncos looked poised to put together another comeback win in a season that’s seen plenty of them. But instead, Jacksonville scored two touchdowns and a field goal on its next three possessions against a Denver defense that entered the game allowing only 18.6 points per game, tied for third fewest in the league.
A defense which had been accustomed to slamming the door shut on opponents instead was wobbled by a sea of missed tackles during the Jaguars’ three consecutive scoring drives.
«We just got to get out of our own way, guys know what to do and we just got to do it,» Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton said. «… We just need to communicate … we missed a lot of tackles, making those tackles, things like that. [But] we’re a 12-win [team], [so] I’m not going to let you guys s— on our parade. We’ve got two games to go and be the No. 1 seed in the AFC.»
The Broncos (12-3) are still in control of their own destiny in the AFC West and for that No. 1 conference seed. Wins over the Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) on Thursday (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) and against the Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) in Week 18 would take care of both goals. But the performance of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Sunday provided a bit of pause.
Lawrence, who came into the game with 12 touchdown passes in his previous four games, threw three more against the Broncos. The Broncos also did not force a turnover, and Lawrence was largely unflustered much of the time except for the sacks. He finished 23-of-36 passing for 279 yards to lead a Jaguars offense that had six plays of more than 20 yards.
«[Lawrence] played a really good game, and so you can try to pin that down,» Broncos coach Sean Payton said. «… We missed a lot of tackles in space. There were a lot of yards after the catch that showed up, which was evident.»
Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington was one of the main beneficiaries of the missed tackles. While Denver was able to hold Jacksonville’s primary receivers — Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers — to a combined 63 receiving yards, Washington finished with a career-high 145 yards on six receptions. It was the second 100-yard game of Washington’s career, with much of it coming after the catch.
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«[The] NFL always comes down to execution, who is going to make the plays in the critical moments,» Broncos All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II said. «… We shot ourselves in the foot too many times.»
The Broncos also lost linebacker Dre Greenlaw in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury. Greenlaw did not return to the game and will be evaluated on Monday, making his status for Thursday night’s game uncertain.
Denver should get a break against the Chiefs. While Kansas City is ranked 13th in the NFL in scoring, it is down to its No. 3 quarterback, Chris Oladokun. Either way, the Broncos hope Sunday’s performance was a blip that will be forgotten when they get back on track.
«We’ll make the corrections and be fine,» Broncos defensive tackle Zach Allen said. «[But] we didn’t tackle, we didn’t execute.»
