Denver Broncos: 4 awesome stats that defined the win vs. Jaguars

The Denver Broncos got a win in Jacksonville to improve to 2-0 on the young 2021 season. Here are four awesome stats that defined the victory.

The Denver Broncos went to Jacksonville and came away with a victory to improve to 2-0 this season. It wasn’t that long ago, but the Broncos’ 2-0 start to open the 2018 season feels like a lifetime ago with how much has changed since then.

Getting off to a strong start was absolutely critical for the Denver Broncos in 2021, and they have done exactly that.

Of course, detractors are already out in full force talking about the fact that the Broncos’ two wins to open the 2021 season have come against the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars, two teams that were expected to be bad this year.

Who cares?

At the end of the season, if the Broncos are in the playoffs, no one is going to care that two of their wins on the way there were against the Giants and Jaguars.

But I digress.

This particular game against the Jaguars was a big one for the Broncos regardless of how good (or bad) Jacksonville is as a team, and the Broncos won. How did they do it? What were the key statistics?

I’m glad you asked.

Let’s take a look through this game with a fine-tooth comb and look at the victory-defining stats.

Denver Broncos: 4 awesome stats vs. Jaguars

1. 1/4

Any time you do something good that only three other guys in NFL history have done, you deserve some serious recognition for it.

Pointed out by Denver Broncos Chief Communications Officer Patrick Smyth, Teddy Bridgewater became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to open a season with two touchdown passes, no interceptions, and a completion percentage at 75 percent or above in the first two games of the year.

What an awesome stat and what a group to be part of.

Not only is Bridgewater the fourth QB in NFL history to do it, but he is the first one to do it in three years and only the third one to do it since 1994? That is crazy.

It has been an absolutely outstanding start to the 2021 season for Teddy Bridgewater, who will get another favorable matchup at home in week three as the Denver Broncos play host to the New York Jets.

It was also noted on the CBS broadcast during the game that Bridgewater’s first two starts of the 2021 season with the Denver Broncos are the best the team has had in any two game stretch since Peyton Manning’s MVP season back in 2013.

Teddy Bridgewater for MVP?

Alright let’s settle down.

For now, we’ll take a 2-0 start, plenty of history being packed into two weeks, and an optimistic view going forward.

Denver Broncos: 4 awesome stats vs. Jaguars

2. 90.6

Courtland Sutton had a huge game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Huge as in, career-best type of huge.

Sutton tore up his knee almost one year ago to the date, but he’s back and better than ever now.

It wasn’t just Sutton’s best game as a pro, either. He graded out as the best receiver in all of football this week according to Pro Football Focus.

In addition to setting career-highs in receptions (9) and yards (159), Sutton notched the second-longest play of his NFL career thus far with a 55-yard catch against the Jaguars.

His other two longest receptions were 70- and 52-yard plays early in the 2019 season on passes from Joe Flacco.

Believe it or not, this was Sutton’s first 50-yard play since October of 2019. Of course, he missed most of the 2020 season with injury, but as good as his 2019 season was, that is at least a little surprising.

When Jerry Jeudy went down with an injury in week one, it was obviously expected that Sutton would take on a much bigger role than we saw in week one which he obviously did. In week one, Sutton converted a key fourth-down play but that was his only catch on three targets.

In week two? It was the Courtland Sutton show.

This guy is back as WR1 and he proved it in a big way.

Denver Broncos: 4 awesome stats vs. Jaguars

3. -3 total yards, 7 targets, 2 receptions, 1 rushing attempt

Those were the numbers in this game for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Laviska Shenault.

Amazing.

The Jaguars were making a concerted effort to get Shenault more involved in the offense after he got off to a slow start in week one with 9 targets resulting in seven receptions for just 50 yards and one rushing attempt for nine yards.

They tried to get him eight touches in this game, but were only able to actually get him three, and on those three touches, Shenault mustered negative three total yards from scrimmage.

It was a dominating performance from the Denver Broncos’ defense for the majority of the game anyway, but their dominance specifically against Shenault is really a microcosm of the way Vic Fangio’s defense was able to put the clamps on after an impressive first drive from the Jaguars.

Shenault will have better days, there’s no question about it. He’s one of the most exciting young players in the league right now, especially in the open field after the catch.

How good is the Denver Broncos’ secondary?

Well, the Jaguars’ receiver trio of Marvin Jones, DJ Chark, and Laviska Shenault combined in this game for just nine receptions, 74 yards, and a touchdown, most of which came from Jones on that first drive.

As a matter of fact, 49 of Jones’ 55 receiving yards in this game came on the first drive.

After that first drive, the Broncos’ secondary held this trio to just 25 receiving yards.

If any other team has that kind of success against the Jaguars’ receiver trio the duration of the 2021 season, feel free to send us a message.

Denver Broncos: 4 awesome stats vs. Jaguars

4. 1

One of the best stats from this game against the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Just a simple 1.

As in, one reception for 15 yards.

As in, Kendall Hinton, catching his very first regular season NFL pass.

https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1439652973739712512

The last time we saw Kendall Hinton on the field for the Denver Broncos in a regular season game, it was not under the greatest of circumstances.

Everyone knows about Hinton as the practice squad receiver who became the Broncos’ emergency quarterback late last season against the New Orleans Saints.

In that game, he completed just one pass for 13 yards in a courageous effort.

After the Jerry Jeudy injury, the Denver Broncos called Hinton up from the practice squad and, as expected, he had an impact on the game.

He caught his only target of the contest playing just five snaps, and it was a crucial one. Just before the half, needing a score in a big way, Teddy Bridgwater looked Hinton’s way on a 2nd-and-10 play that would ultimately set up a Tim Patrick touchdown.

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This was an awesome moment for Hinton and the Denver Broncos and will hopefully be the first of many receptions for Hinton as a wide receiver in the orange and blue.