The Denver Broncos will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 in what is suddenly an extremely important game for the home team. In order to avoid an 0-2 start to the season, the Broncos will have to defeat the team that ended their 11-game winning streak last season.
After an incredibly disappointing performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, the Broncos will need to quickly regroup against a red-hot Jacksonville team that will come in loaded with confidence after handing the Broncos a 14-point defeat at Empower Field last December.
This will be one of the marquee games of Week 2 and it's likely to be tightly contested. These three matchups could go a long way in determining which team gets the W.
3 key matchups for Broncos vs. Jaguars in Week 2
Alex Singleton vs. Jaguars' running backs
Despite logging 15 tackles against
the Chiefs, it was widely agreed within Broncos Country that Alex Singleton played poorly and looks like a liability for the team going forward. It got so bad that Singleton's agent had to come to his defense.
Singleton had several missed tackles against the Chiefs and he struggles in pass coverage. Going into the season with Singleton and Justin Strnad as the starting inside linebackers was always questionable for the Broncos, and concerns are already being raised.
Jacksonville is going to look to get its running game going after seeing what Kenneth Walker and the Chiefs did to Denver last week. While the Jaguars likely don't plan on rushing for 220 yards in the game the way the Chiefs did, a strong start in this area will only lead to Trevor Lawrence being even more difficult for the Broncos to defend.
Jacksonville will look to attack Singleton on the second level in the running game, trying to turn two- or three-yard gains into six or seven and setting up easier conversions to move the chains. Singleton will need to be much better at helping shut it down in order to get the ball back to the offense.
Ja'Quan McMillian vs. Parker Washington
This could be the most important one-on-one matchup of this game as Parker Washington has emerged as the most dangerous option in the Jaguars' passing game. He had a huge game against the Broncos last season, catching six passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, including one reception for 63 yards.
As the Jags' slot receiver, Washington will draw Ja'Quan McMillian in coverage for much of this game. McMillian needs to keep him in check and force Lawrence to throw to receivers on the boundaries and help slow down Jacksonville's ability to work the middle of the field.
Broncos' defensive line vs. Jacksonville's pass protection
The Broncos had five sacks of Lawrence last December and after only registering two sacks in Week 1, they need to fid a way to harass Lawrence in this game.
Looking at those five sacks last season, none of them came from the team's edge rushers. Riley Moss had one and the other four were all made by players along the defensive line (John-Franklin Myers had two and Malcolm Roach and D.J. Jones each had one).
The Broncos need to look for success in a similar way in this game, finding cracks in the Jaguars' offensive line to generate pressure from the defensive line. This could be a great opportunity for a guy like Sai'vion Jones or third-round pick Tyler Onyedim (who was inactive in Week 1) to make an impact.
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: 3 matchups to watch when Broncos face Jaguars in Week 2
