The Denver Broncos are atop the AFC West and the presumptive #1 seed in the AFC thanks to their 12-2 record. Winners of eleven straight games, Denver has already punched their ticket to the postseason. This weekend, the Broncos host the Jacksonville Jaguars who are 10-4 and lead the AFC South. This is another tough matchup for Denver. Jacksonville is a well-rounded team with a Top 10 offense and defense. Here are three players I believe need to play at a high level in order to topple the roaring
Jaguars.
Zach Allen — Defensive Lineman
The Broncos have touted one of the best defenses in the National Football League with respect to stopping the run and getting after the quarterback. Not only that, but they have also been stout in the red zone and are doing a great job of limiting the number of points opposing teams put on the scoreboard.
A big reason for that is their play up front. While the defensive line has a handful of quality players, there is no doubt Zach Allen has emerged into one of the best interior defensive linemen in football over the past several seasons. Through fourteen games, Allen has 33 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 40 quarterback hits. That’s impressive production.
This Sunday, the Broncos will need him to play some of his best ball to date. Led by Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars offense has been averaging well over thirty points a contest since their bye week. Lawrence is coming off a five-touchdown performance versus the Jets last weekend. In the past three games, the former top pick has nine touchdowns with no interceptions and has been sacked just three times.
For most of their ’25 campaign, Jacksonville’s revamped offensive line has been great with pass protection. In order to achieve victory, Allen and the rest of the defensive front seven are going to have to find a way to rattle and pressure Lawrence. I’m confident he and his teammates will accomplish that.
P.J. Locke — Safety
The Broncos have enjoyed a relatively clean bill of health throughout their ’25 season outside a few injuries. Unfortunately, versatile safety Brandon Jones suffered a pectoral injury last weekend and will be absent from Sunday’s matchup. That means veteran P.J. Locke, who was a fifteen-game starter in Denver last year, will get an opportunity for more playing time.
In 2024, opposing quarterbacks had a 125.8 QB rating when throwing in Locke’s direction. He gave up four touchdowns and an average of 12 yards per completion. As outlined above, the Jaguars’ passing offense has been enjoying success lately. Given such, it wouldn’t be at all surprising for Liam Coen to dial up play calls for Lawrence that opt to target the former Longhorn in coverage.
Denver was able to overcome missing Patrick Surtain II for several games due to their cornerback depth. Will the backend of the secondary be able to do the same? We’ll just have to wait in see. Regardless, Locke is going to have to step up and show he can play at a high level down the stretch and into the postseason. Limiting Jacksonville’s explosive plays down the field will be essential to notch their thirteenth win in ‘25.
Troy Franklin — Wide Receiver
As the regular season winds down, it’s clear that evaluating second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin has been a point of emphasis for the Broncos. He trails Courtland Sutton by just six targets with 94 on the season. That comes as a bit of surprise, but his ability to separate and get open consistently has been an asset for the Broncos this season.
We’ve seen glimpses of Franklin’s potential throughout the year. He had big games against the Colts, Cowboys and Chiefs. But last weekend against the Packers, the former Oregon Duck hauled in all six of his targets for 85 yards and a touchdown. It’s the first time all season he sported a 100-percent catch rate in a game.
The Jaguars’ defense has been opportunistic forcing turnovers and boast 18 interceptions on the season. That worries me a bit. However, they’ve been susceptible to the big play giving up 23 touchdowns thus far and 39 plays of 20 yards or more through the air. That makes me confident Franklin could have some success against their secondary.
With quarterback Bo Nix performing tremendously last week, I’m hoping we see the former Oregon connection standout on Sunday versus Jacksonville. Not too long ago, Franklin’s catch rate was a shade over 50-percent. But since the bye week, he has hauled in 11 of his 13 targets and brought his season catch rate to above 60-percent. That’s still not ideal for a second-volume target in Denver’s offense, but if he can continue the success we saw against Green Bay, that would go a long way toward earning a much-needed win against a formidable foe like the Jaguars.
