Denver Broncos: 25 or Under facing the Jacksonville Jaguars
Denver Broncos defense: 25 or under
Facing a faulty New York Giants offense, the Denver Broncos did what they were supposed to do. Granted they did not do anything spectacular, but they handled business. Holding the Giants to just 13 points, the Denver Broncos defense upheld 25 or under in Week One.
How did they do it?
Well, they contained Saquon Barkley for starters, he seen just 26 rushing yards last week. There were a couple of things that did bring some concern for me, that was the mobility of Daniel Jones and Sterling Shepherd.
Sterling Shepherd surpassed 100 receiving yards and Daniel Jones found multiple running lanes, mainly in the gut of the Broncos’ defense. Trevor Lawrence is a sneaky athletic guy himself, much like Daniel Jones.
Facing an offense that will lean on RPO’s, the Broncos must contain Lawrence and his rushing ability. If they can do that, I think the Denver Broncos defense will have another great outing Sunday.
The match-up I’m looking forward to the most in the trio of Jaguars receivers against the trio of Broncos cornerbacks. Marvin Jones Jr., Leviska Shenault, and DJ Chark are all very capable weapons, if Bryce Callahan, Kyle Fuller, or Patrick Surtain II are caught napping, they will get exposed.
With the injury of Ronald Darby, Patrick Surtain II will be placed into a much more prominent role Sunday. Darby played every single snap for the Denver Broncos last week, while Surtain saw just 16. Ronald Darby, like Jerry Jeudy, was placed on the injured reserve list following the New York Giants game.
Some key stats from the Jacksonville Jaguars offense last week are:
- Carlos Hyde out rushed incumbent James Robinson, nine carries to five. Neither performed that well, totaling only 69 yards on the ground.
- Trevor Lawrence was 28/51 for 332 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.
- DJ Chark was targeted 12 times but only had three receptions.
- Leviska Shenault had nine total touches, eight receptions, and one carry for 59 yards.
- Trevor Lawrence was only sacked once but had a QBR of just 14.
- Jacksonville had 395 total yards of offense and 25 minutes of time of possession.
None of those stats were mind-blowing, so I think the Denver Broncos can uphold the 25 or Under this week.
In the end, I see Dre’Mont Jones having a monster day; Von Miller as well. This Denver Broncos defense will create heavy pressure up the middle, Alexander Johnson and Dre’Mont Jones will combine for 3.5 sacks and Von will add1.5 sacks also.
Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson both steal one from Trevor Lawrence as he throws a couple of touchdowns along with a couple of interceptions. In this contest, I think the Denver Broncos have their way up front and this helps the back end hold up.
When the clock strikes zero, I think Jacksonville ultimately ends up with just 20 points. Denver Broncos start the season hot, heading back home to face the New York Jets with a 2-0 record.
They defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road, 41-20.