DENVER, Colo. – They had control. Then they didn’t.
The Jaguars had a double-digit lead and momentum in a key early-season game Sunday. But in front of a raucous crowd and against a poised opponent, they held neither. The result was the end of a winning streak.
Denver Broncos running back Jonah Coleman’s 3-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run keyed a strong rally, with the Jaguars squandering a 10-point third-quarter lead as the Broncos dominated the second half of a 20-13 victory in front of 76,472 at Empower Field at Mile High Sunday afternoon.
“We just weren’t in sync enough, especially in the second half,” Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen said, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence calling the loss, “Definitely disappointing.”
“We have to find a way to hold on to that and go put somebody away,” Coen said of the double-digit second-half lead.
Coleman’s touchdown came with 7:21 remaining and marked the first time the Jaguars trailed this season. The Jaguars punted on their ensuing possession and did not regain possession.
The Jaguars finished with 115 second-half yards and finished the game with 268 total yards.
“It was tough sledding for us on offense the entire game,” Lawrence said.
The Jaguars (1-1), who beat the Broncos 34-20 in Denver in Week 16 last season, lost for the first time after a nine-game regular-season winning streak dating to last season. The Broncos, last season’s AFC West Champion, improved to 1-1.
“It’s disappointing, but it’s a learning lesson for us,” Jaguars defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton said. “It’s early in the season. We still have a lot of ball to play ahead of us. It’s all good.”
The Jaguars led 10-3 at halftime and 13-3 in the third quarter, but the Broncos rallied with a long field goal by Wil Lutz in the third quarter before a short touchdown pass from Broncos quarterback Bo Nix to tight end Nate Adkins tied the game early in the fourth quarter.
“We played the opposite way in the second half as we did the first half,” Lawrence said. “We played complementary and played really well off the momentum our defense was creating [in the first half].
“We just didn’t make enough plays in the back half of the second half”
The Jaguars last started the regular season 2-0 in 2018.
“We were not on our details the rest of the game, so that’s disappointing,” Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun said. “I’m looking at ourselves inward. It’s an opportunity to get better.”
Lawrence completed 17 of 29 passes for 189 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception, with the interception coming late in the third quarter and leading to Adkins’ game-tying touchdown. Nix completed 22 of 31 passes for 288 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions.
Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington caught seven passes for 98 yards, with his 32-yard reception from Lawrence in the second quarter setting up the game’s first touchdown.
The Jaguars’ defense twice in the second quarter held the Broncos inside the Jaguars’ 10-yard line, forcing a short field goal on one drive before cornerback Jourdan Lewis intercepted Nix’s pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton in the end zone just before the two-minute warning.
The Jaguars will play host to the New England Patriots (1-1) at EverBank Stadium Sunday.
“It’s one week at a time and we have to move on now,” Washington said. “We have a good opponent next week. We have to make corrections and keep getting better as a team. We want to worry about responding.
“It’s a long season. We just have to be ready to come back next week.”