The Denver Broncos rolled into Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars riding an 11-game win streak with visions of clinching the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Jaguars had other ideas. Sparked by another big game from quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars steamrolled the Broncos’ vaunted defense in Denver to secure a 34-20 win.
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With the win, the Jaguars improve to 11-4 while turning the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC into a multi-team contest. The Broncos drop to 12-3, even with the Patriots, while the 11-4 Chargers and 11-4 Bills all remain in the race for the first-round bye in the AFC playoff bracket. The 10-5 Houston Texans also have an outside shot at climbing to the No. 1 seed.
Another big game from Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence led the way while completing 23 of 36 passes for for 279 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 20 yards and a fourth touchdown on the ground.
This performance followed a week after Lawrence led a 48-20 romp over the Jets with 330 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and no turnovers. But that was against the Jets.
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Sunday was against a Super Bowl-contending Broncos team with one of the best defenses in football. And if you weren’t counting the Jaguars among Super Bowl contenders before, it’s time to reconsider that stance.
Jaguars break tight game open after halftime
The early portion of Sunday’s contest was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Broncos tie the game at 17-17 early in the third quarter. But the tenor of the game took a dramatic shift on Jacksonville’s first possession of the second half.
Sparked by a pair of big penalties, the Jaguars drove 75 yards for a touchdown. A roughing the passer penalty for bodyweight on a hit of Lawrence on first down moved the Jaguars across midfield and riled up the raucous Denver crowd.
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Then, in the red zone on second down, the Broncos got flagged for pass interference in the end zone when Jahdae Barron grabbed Parker Washington’s arm while the ball was in the air. This brought the home crowd into a frenzy.
Lawrence responded by running untouched into the end zone for a 24-17 Jaguars lead.
Turnovers doom Denver’s comeback effort
The Broncos had multiple chances to answer, but there was no Bo Nix magic in the second half this time.
Denver punted after four plays on its ensuing possession. Following another Jaguars touchdown for a 31-17 lead, a botched handoff from Nix to Jaleel McLaughlin resulted in Denver’s first turnover of the game. The Jaguars converted that fumble into a field goal for a 34-17 lead.
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Then with 8:08 remaining, Nix forced a sideline pass to Pat Bryant in tight coverage. Jarrian Jones was there for the interception to all but ice the Jacksonville win.
For the day, Nix completed 28 of 47 passes for 352 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He was credited with a lost fumble on the botched handoff in the third quarter. And the Jaguars finished the game with a 2-0 advantage in takeaways. Those turnovers ultimately tanked any hope of a Broncos comeback.
Broncos still control No. 1 seed
Even with the loss, the Broncos maintain control of that No. 1 seed. They hold the tiebreaker over the Patriots, who beat the Ravens on Sunday night to match them at 12-3.
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But with two weeks remaining in the season, the race for that No. 1 seed is anything but settled. And the Chargers could still win the AFC West. The Broncos and Chargers will face off in Week 18, when the division title could be at stake.
