As the Jacksonville Jaguars prepare to face the Denver Broncos in Week 2, we exchanged questions with Ian St. Clair of Mile High Report to learn more about the opposing side.
Question 1: Denver allowed the NFL’s second-most rushing yards last week (220) after allowing the second-fewest rushing yards per game last season (91.1). Are you expecting the defense to bounce back to its 2025 form, or was the 2026 season opener a sign of things to come?
The challenge after the first game of the season is to
not let the outcome sway the judgment of a team, one way or the other. It’s one game, and as the cliché goes, one game does not a season make. However, when you look at the last three games for the Broncos’ rush “defense,” it should make Broncos Country cringe. In the last three games, including the two playoff games last season, the Denver defense has allowed 543 yards rushing. That’s a trend, and not a good one. Against a good rushing team in Jacksonville, it may take a miracle for the Broncos to not have this recent nasty streak hit four games. What would help is if the defense remembered how to tackle, though that seems far-fetched at this point, too.
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Question 2: Bo Nix’s average pass attempt traveled just 4.3 yards in the air in Week 1, which was surprising to see given the offseason addition of Jaylen Waddle. Do you expect the offense to open up more going forward?
This is where I think the anomaly enters the equation. The pairing of opening on the road at Arrowhead Stadium against arguably the best defensive coordinator this century, and an offensive coordinator calling plays in his first game, was a recipe for struggles. Now figure it out and do your job. This isn’t rocket science. You trade for Waddle and he has one catch for two yards. Seriously? Against a secondary that had no returning players to it. On third-and-1, Davis Webb calls an empty set. Seriously? The Broncos offense looked and played like this was its first game playing football. While it’ll take a miracle for the Denver defense to stop the run, Nix and the offense should be much better on Sunday.
Question 3: Why will this game between Denver and Jacksonville be different than their meeting last season?
Athletes have long memories, and when they’re embarrassed, they’re even longer. Not only did the Jaguars embarrass Denver at home, this team was just unmercifully flogged by Kansas City. Pride is a powerful thing, and the Broncos did make it to the AFC Championship Game with this same roster. The other factor is Sean Payton. He will not accept either type of showing this weekend, and he’ll demand this team figure it out and do its job. Whether that leads to success, we’ll see. The game is also being played in Denver, so that can’t hurt.
Question 4: What’s a key matchup to watch throughout the game?
The Broncos’ front seven against the Jacksonville offensive line. If Denver’s defense doesn’t do a better job of maintaining the edge and fighting off interior blocks on the line of scrimmage, it’ll be a long afternoon. The converse is also true with the Broncos offensive line against the Jacksonville front; run and pass blocking must be better on Sunday than it was in Kansas City.
Question 5: Do you expect the Broncos to cover as 2.5-point favorites, and do you have a favorite player prop for the game?
This is difficult because, obviously, I’m a Broncos fan. We all witnessed the same thing on Monday night in Kansas City. We also witnessed the same thing last season when these two teams played. But as Nix said after the loss to the Chiefs, this was a “nasty wake-up call.” I think Denver finds a way to cover and get the win on Sunday. As for a prop, I have two: Waddle anytime TD (+185) and 60+ receiving yards (+118).
Thanks to Ian for taking the time to answer our questions.
Let us know your thoughts on the matchup in the comments below!
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