Denver Broncos: National media expects Week 2 win over Jaguars
The Denver Broncos appear to be heavily favored in their week 2 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Denver Broncos beat the New York Giants in week 1 of the 2021 season by a score of 27-13. In week 2, they head down to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars and their rookie first overall pick quarterback in Trevor Lawrence.
Against the Giants, the Broncos scored three touchdowns including two passes from Teddy Bridgewater to wide receiver Tim Patrick and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. Bridgewater was able to show off some of his athleticism as well, running three times for 19 yards.
With Lawrence at the helm, the Jaguars scored three touchdowns through the air, but that’s where their scoring came to an end. The Texans defeated Jacksonville 37-21.
A common assessment of the NFL today suggests that it’s difficult to win football games if you’re throwing the ball 50+ times a game. That’s what Jacksonville did, throwing 51 passes. If Jacksonville keeps that up against the Denver Broncos, it would be good news for the away team.
Denver is going to need to control the clock on offense. That will require a heavy dose of Melvin Gordon and rookie Javonte Williams. Gordon had 101 yards on the ground against the Giants in week 1, but a big part of those yards came on one run when he reached the end zone on a 70-yard attempt.
Whatever works, right?
The Denver Broncos will be without wide receiver Jerry Jeudy for this game after he suffered an ankle injury against New York. Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and K.J. Hamler will hopefully have a big game for the Broncos. Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor passed for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns while throwing zero interceptions against Jacksonville.
I do believe that the Broncos’ defense, even without starter Ronald Darby, will be able to confuse Lawrence and force him into some ill-advised throws, leading to interceptions.
When it comes to the national media, several outlets predict the Denver Broncos to win. In fact, most appear to feel that way. Score predictions vary but at the end of the day, it’s quite telling that these big-name sources feel confident in the Broncos.
27-17 Broncos
24-20 Broncos
26-19 Broncos
34-20 Broncos
27-10 Broncos
28-17 Broncos; 31-20 Broncos
The spread for this game is 5.5-points. Just one of these sources has the Broncos not covering the spread (Sporting News at 24-20).
Some of these sources point to the Broncos’ defense as the cause for them winning this game. The Broncos have the power to pressure Trevor Lawrence and that may be the X-Factor of the game.
Even though the Jaguars earned the first-overall pick last season and got the top player in the 2021 NFL Draft, a win against them would give the Denver Broncos more confidence when they face another rookie quarterback—Zach Wilson of the New York Jets—in week 2.
Hopefully, the Denver Broncos stay healthy and focused against Jacksonville to log win number two of the season.