4 winners (and 2 losers) from Broncos' improbable victory over Jaguars

The Denver Broncos beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL Season, earning their first win of the season, and, oddly enough, the first Week 2 win of the Sean Payton era. The Broncos have struggled in September in the Payton era, so it's nice to get the first win rather early in the season.

This was a back and forth game, for the most part, and it did nearly slip away from the Broncos. Thankfully, the late-game heroics kept up, as the Broncos had two fourth quarter touchdowns to put the game out of reach.

Let's dive into our winners and losers from the huge win.

Denver Broncos winners and losers from Week 2 victory over Jacksonville

Winner: Bo Nix

Bo Nix led two key scoring drives in the fourth quarter for the Broncos, and, once again, showed up late in the game. Nix seemed to be a lot more comfortable in the second half, and it did seem like he was using his legs more and pushing the ball down the field, which are two things that need to continue if this offense was to take that next step.

For all the criticism that Nix and the offense got this week, Week 2 was a great response.

Loser: Alex Singleton

Yes, the defense really bucked up in the second half, but that does not excuse Alex Singleton handing the opponent free yards for the second week in a row:

It seems like the Broncos side of social media has really let Singleton have it this past week, and it's quite clear that many fans are just fed up with the play from the veteran linebacker, who is constantly the nearest defender on chunk plays from the opposition, and that is likely remaining the case the rest of the season.

Winner: Jaylen Waddle

About about eight receptions for 138 yards for Jaylen Waddle? What we saw from Waddle in Week 2 was precisely why the Broncos gave up more than a first-round pick to acquire the player from the Miami Dolphins. Waddle had key first downs and simply adds an explosive element to the offense.

We all know what Waddle can do, but after almost having 0s after Week 1, the offense was clearly wanting to feature him more. Perhaps all it took was the Broncos getting in front of the home crowd and watch that ugly tape from Week 1...

Winner: Davis Webb

Davis Webb gets his first win as the Broncos offensive coordinator and play-caller. Denver called 21 rushing plays to their running backs on Sunday, and Bo Nix had 31 passing attempts, so the run-pass split was much better and where it should be. Both J.K. Dobbins and Jonah Coleman got involved in the action, with Coleman getting in the end zone and icing the game with a late first down carry.

The Broncos have only put up 30 points in two weeks, but doubling their point total and seeing a much more efficient product makes Webb and obvious winner.

Winner: Jonah Coleman

With Dobbins having left the game with a hamstring injury, the Broncos had to turn to Coleman to seal the deal. His first down carry and slide to keep the clock moving down to the two minute warning was veteran stuff, and his ability to get into the end zone was also crucial.

The Broncos offered comparisons to Dobbins with Coleman's running style, and perhaps this game where he actually got a notable workload can begin to set the foundation for a decent workload going forward. This was a splended mini breakout game for the rookie, and it came at a perfect time.

Loser: Penalties...

Penalties continue to be an issue. The Broncos got called for 10 penalties and 53 penalty yards in Week 2. The Jaguars had four penalties for 40 yards. It feels like Payton tells us each week that the penalties will get cleaned up, but it never seems to consistently happen.

Until this issue truly gets cleaned up, the Broncos will continue to lose key yardage on offense or give the defense free first downs. It's as simple as that, and if this does impact the team in the playoffs, the entire season could be derailed.

To be blunt, the penalties need to stop.

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