The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) lost to the Denver Broncos (1-1), 20-13, Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High in a game that rarely gave quarterback Trevor Lawrence or the offense time to settle in.
Denver's pass rush made it a difficult afternoon, forcing the Jaguars to adjust against one of the league's most disruptive fronts. Lawrence's response became a defining storyline of Sunday's matchup.
The loss drops Jacksonville to 1-1 after its dominant season-opening win over Cleveland.
The Jaguars allowed 17 unanswered points, giving Denver a win after Jacksonville squandered a 13-3 lead early in the third quarter.
Here are three takeaways from Jacksonville's Week 2 loss to the Broncos.
Trevor Lawrence finds answers early, not often enough
Lawrence was hit
five times and sacked twice during the first half against Denver, setting the stage for a long day for Jacksonville's offense.
According to ESPN, Lawrence was pressured on 42% of his first-half dropbacks and was 3-for-6 for 43 yards and two sacks on those plays.
On the team's first touchdown drive of the game, Lawrence evaded a would-be sack before finding receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for 22 yards. Lawrence appeared to negate Denver's pass rush for much of the first half, but couldn't escape in the second half.
Lawrence shrugs off the sack and finds BTJ 😳
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Running back Bhayshul Tuten scored on a one-yard run after lining up as a wildcat quarterback.
Lawrence's sharp play was put on pause near the end of the third quarter after throwing an interception to Broncos corner Riley Moss. The turnover led to Denver's first touchdown of the day, a seven-yard pass from Broncos QB Bo Nix to tight end Nate Adkins. The score tied the game 13-13 with about 12 minutes left.
Lawrence never recovered much after the interception, finishing the game after completing 17 of 29 passes for 189 yards and an interception.
Jaguars defense gets takeaway, but can't contain Jaylen Waddle
Jacksonville entered Sunday's game without much to go on when scouting how Denver likes to use receiver Jaylen Waddle. Waddle didn't get involved in the team's first game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, notching one catch for two yards.
He got plenty involved against Jacksonville. Leading up to Denver's first TD to tie it 13-13, Waddle caught seven passes for 109 yards as Denver's leading receiver by a wide margin.
Waddle finished with eight catches for 138 yards.
The Jaguars have forced at least one turnover on defense in eight straight regular-season games, dating back to Week 13 last season. The streak includes a red-zone interception by cornerback Jourdan Lewis against Denver.
Nix was looking for tall wideout Courtland Sutton in the back of the end zone, but Lewis made an athletic play to snag the ball out of the air. Jacksonville turned the pick into three points to close the first half.
The interception was one of the defense's lone bright spots as they allowed 392 total net yards, including 288 passing yards and 104 rushing.
Liam Coen penalty helps set up go-ahead Broncos touchdown
Emotions got high in Denver during the fourth quarter. After cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter was flagged for pass interference on Sutton, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen appeared irate on the sideline and was subsequently flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The penalties gave Denver the ball at the Jacksonville three-yard line. On the subsequent play, Broncos rookie tailback Jonah Coleman took the ball three yards to give Denver its first lead of the day, 20-13.
What's next for the Jaguars?
At 1-1/2-0 the Jaguars are set to return to EverBank Stadium to face off against the New England Patriots. The loss on Sunday marks the team's first loss since Week 10 last year and snaps the NFL's longest active regular-season winning streak.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Demetrius82 or on BlueskyatDemetrius.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars squander second-half lead at Broncos: 3 takeaways
