For most of Sunday afternoon in Denver, it looked like the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to do exactly what good teams are supposed to do. Win on the road. Control the football game. Make enough plays. Get back on the plane 2–0. Instead, the Jaguars let one get away.
Jacksonville fell to the Denver Broncos 20–13 Sunday afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High, suffering its first loss of the 2026 season and snapping a nine-game regular-season winning streak. And this one will sting. Because Jacksonville had control.
The Jaguars led 13–3 in the third quarter. Then everything changed. Denver scored 17 unanswered points, dominated the fourth quarter, and sent Jacksonville home with plenty to think about.
Jacksonville Had the Game Where It Wanted It. The first half was not pretty. It was physical. Slow. Defensive. Exactly the type of game where one mistake could determine everything. Jacksonville struck first when rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten punched in a one-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. The Jaguars added a Cam Little field goal just before halftime and took a 10–3 lead into the locker room. Then Jacksonville opened the second half with another field goal.
13–3. On the road.Against a talented Denver team. At that moment, Jacksonville had every opportunity to put its foot on Denver’s neck. It didn’t.
The Turning Point
Trevor Lawrence threw an interception in the second half, and Denver made Jacksonville pay.
From that point forward, the momentum completely shifted.
The Broncos eventually scored 17 unanswered points, including two fourth-quarter touchdowns, while Jacksonville failed to score again. Denver’s go-ahead touchdown came on a three-yard run by Jonah Coleman with 7:24 remaining.
That is where this loss hurts the most.
Jacksonville didn’t get blown out.
Jacksonville didn’t spend the whole afternoon chasing the game.
The Jaguars had the lead and gave it away.
Good teams are going to find themselves in those situations throughout the season.
The question becomes whether you finish.
On Sunday, Jacksonville didn’t.
Trevor Lawrence Never Found a Rhythm
This was a completely different afternoon for Trevor Lawrence than Week 1.
Against Cleveland, Lawrence looked comfortable, decisive and dangerous.
Four touchdowns.
Zero interceptions.
Against Denver?
17-of-29.
189 yards.
Zero touchdowns.
One interception.
There were flashes.
There were completions.
There were moments when Jacksonville moved the football.
But the offense never consistently found its rhythm.
Lawrence did not account for a touchdown for the first time since Week 3 of last season.
And once Denver took the lead, Jacksonville never found the response it needed.
That is the next step for this offense.
Can Trevor and company make the play when everybody in the stadium knows they have to throw the football?
Sunday, the answer was no.
Parker Washington Keeps Producing
If there was one consistent bright spot in Jacksonville’s passing game, it was once again Parker Washington.
Washington finished with:
7 receptions.
98 yards.
12 targets.
He was Jacksonville’s leading receiver for the second consecutive week.
After opening the season with five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown against Cleveland, Washington followed that performance with another productive afternoon in Denver.
That gives him 181 receiving yards through two games.
And yes — we are going to keep talking about that contract situation.
Because every week Parker Washington goes out there and produces, the number does not get smaller.
He continues to look like one of Trevor Lawrence’s most trusted weapons.
Jacksonville Couldn’t Get to Bo Nix
This might be the biggest defensive concern coming out of Sunday.
Jacksonville recorded five sacks against Cleveland in Week 1.
Against Denver?
Zero.
None.
The Jaguars were credited with just three quarterback hurries, and Bo Nix had enough time to attack Jacksonville down the field. He finished 22-of-31 for 288 yards and a touchdown.
And when Jacksonville did bring extra pressure, Denver often identified it before the snap and adjusted its protection.
That matters.
Because Jacksonville wants its front four to be able to create pressure without constantly sending extra defenders.
Sunday, it couldn’t.
And when you give NFL quarterbacks time, eventually they find somebody.
Which leads us to Jaylen Waddle.
Jaylen Waddle Was a Problem
Jacksonville simply did not have an answer for Denver receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Waddle finished with eight catches for 138 yards, consistently creating explosive plays against the Jaguars secondary.
Denver had five completions of at least 20 yards.
That is difficult to overcome.
The defense did some good things.
Jourdan Lewis intercepted Nix in the end zone, preventing a touchdown.
Jacksonville held Denver to field goals early.
But eventually the explosive plays caught up with them.
That’s another area Jacksonville will have to clean up quickly.
Missed Opportunities Everywhere
This was not a game where you can point to one play and say:
“There. That’s why they lost.”
It was everything.
Trevor’s interception.
The lack of pass rush.
Explosive plays allowed defensively.
A missed 54-yard field goal from Cam Little.
The offense going quiet.
The defense failing to get off the field late.
Denver was able to run out the final 4:41 of the game after taking the lead.
That last part bothers me.
When everybody in the stadium knows Denver wants to run the football and protect the lead, Jacksonville has to get the ball back.
They couldn’t.
That is finishing football.
Denver finished.
Jacksonville didn’t.
Don't Panic — But Pay Attention
Jacksonville is 1–1.
The season is not over.
Nobody needs to jump off the bandwagon.
There are 15 games left.
But losses like this teach you more than a 34–10 blowout sometimes does.
Against Cleveland, almost everything went right.
Against Denver, Jacksonville faced adversity.
And we learned that this team still has work to do.
The offensive consistency has to improve.
The pass rush has to show up against quality offensive lines.
The secondary has to limit explosives.
And when Jacksonville has a 10-point second-half lead?
Finish the damn game.
The Bottom Line
This one was there.
That’s what makes it frustrating.
Jacksonville didn’t walk into Denver and get outclassed.
The Jaguars led by 10 points.
They had opportunities.
They controlled portions of the afternoon.
Then the game flipped.
And Jacksonville never flipped it back.
The Jaguars are now 1–1.
That is not a crisis.
But Sunday was a reminder that being talented and being ready to contend are not always the same thing.
Contenders finish.
Contenders protect double-digit leads.
Contenders find a way to get off the field in the fourth quarter.
Jacksonville didn’t do those things Sunday.
Now we find out how they respond.
Because one loss does not define a season.
But the response to it might tell us a whole lot about this team.