Josey Jewell’s absence proved costly for Broncos run defense
By Tylor Walden
The Broncos looked on their way to victory against the Jaguars. Their running game was on fire in the second half. Josey Jewell’s absence could be a factor.
When the Denver Broncos entered halftime up 17-6, it looked as if the team was well on their way to victory. Josey Jewell was knocked out of the game at some point in the second quarter.
At the halftime mark, the Jacksonville Jaguars only had 25 yards rushing. Gardner Minshew threw for 90 yards. That gave them a grand total of 115 yards in the first half. All was going well for the Denver Broncos. That absence of Josey Jewell proved to make a huge impact on the second half.
Leonard Fournette played like a man possessed in the second half. He would finish the game with 225 rushing yards on 29 carries as the Jaguars went to a run heavy offense. Their first drive of the second half took well over ten minutes off the play clock. And it was thanks to the running ability of Fournette.
As for Josey Jewell, Vic Fangio said post game that his hamstring injury flared up, which forced him out of action for the final three quarters of the game. When he departed, everything slowly but surely went south.
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Having the run defense of the Denver Broncos get gashed like that was horrendous to see. It was even worse when Fournette scampered while deep in his own territory on an 81-yard run. That play alone was deflating.
Without Josey Jewell on the field, the Denver Broncos could basically allow a semi truck to get through the holes that they opened up. And they also seemed to not be able to slow down the semi as tackling on running plays were downright disgusting.
Without Josey Jewell, the Denver Broncos will need to find a way to stop the running game. Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler are next on the schedule. It is not going to be easy.