The Denver Broncos beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 21-17, ending their four-game losing streak as they improve to 3-5 this season. The Jaguars have now lost five straight games and are 2-6.
The Broncos’ offense struggled to come out, quarterback Russell Wilson nearly throwing an interception on his first pitch of the game, only to get knocked out on Denver’s second drive. The Jaguars capitalized on the turnover and scored a touchdown after the interception as quarterback Trevor Lawrence found Evan Engram for 22 yards in the end zone and with the extra run the Jags took a lead of 7-0.
The Broncos defense struggled to slow the Jaguars, who were falling back into the red zone. Even when Denver stopped Lawrence and Co., a defensive penalty would backfire. Denver managed to put up a huge play, when Justin Simmons intercepted Lawrence’s pass in the end zone intended for Zay Jones.
The Broncos finally got on the board with a touchdown with just under three minutes left in the half. Jerry Jeudy set the score with a 25-yard run, then caught a 6-yard pass from Wilson.
With a minute left at the half, Wilson had the chance to shake things up deep in his own territory with two timeouts. The attack was approaching field goal range, but Wilson was sacked, finally ending their chance for points before half-time.
The Broncos took their first lead of the game in the third quarter with a Melvin Gordon touchdown from the 1-yard line, which was established by tight end Greg Dulcich with a 38-yard catch. Dulcich finished with four receptions for 87 yards on the day.
Travis Etienne was the Jaguars player of the day. He rumbled for 156 yards on 24 carries and also gave Jacksonville the lead in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard run to make it 17-14 after the extra run.
With less than two minutes remaining, however, the Broncos regained the lead, thanks to a rushing touchdown from Latavius Murray from 1. The touchdown was set up by a 47-yard pass to KJ Hamler and a play of Wilson who extended the series. on the third try.
The game ended with an interception by Lawrence. A pass intended for Christian Kirk was picked up by Denver’s K’Waun Williams who gave the Broncos the ball, leaving them with the final task of running out of time. Wilson went for a quarterback on third down that sealed the victory for good.
Here are some takeaways from the Broncos’ win in London.
Why the Broncos won
The Broncos didn’t fall too far behind despite a rocky start, and their ability to stay in the game and gain confidence saw them reclaim the lead on several occasions. The final interception was crucial in a close game, and being able to close things out for the win was something the Broncos struggled with this season, but they did in Week 8.
Wilson made mistakes, but when needed he was able to walk the field and led the team to several touchdowns. The Broncos have had much more success in the red zone than they have in the past. Additionally, both Dulcich and Jerry Jeudy got involved offensively and even Wilson was able to use his legs to make some big plays, including an important third conversion on the final score.
Why the Jaguars lost
In close games it’s all about who can play the full 60 minutes and today it wasn’t the Jaguars. Jacksonville came out strong and took a 10-0 lead to start the game, but the defense slowed down and eventually let Russ “cook.”
Etienne finished with 24 carries for 156 yards and a touchdown, but Jacksonville still couldn’t get the win.
Turning
The Broncos struggled to get out of the gate and looked like it could be another story of the offense being unable to do anything. Denver was trailing 10-0, when it managed to score an unanswered 14 points to take the lead. That second touchdown — a Gordon score — gave the Broncos the lead and confidence they needed at halftime.
Here is an overview of the TD:
Here is the game that implemented the TD:
Game of the game
With less than two minutes left in the game, Lawrence had an interception on the first play of their practice. The pass for Christian Kirk was picked up by Denver’s K’Waun Williams. The interception essentially sealed the deal for the Broncos, who only had to cut time on offense to get into the win formation.
Here is an overview of the selection:
And after
The Broncos’ next game is Nov. 13 against the Tennessee Titans, but they have their bye week first. The Jaguars will host the Las Vegas Raiders next week.