Well, that is what you call a second-half collapse. The Jags gave up 17 unanswered points on their way to their first loss of the season on Sunday to the Broncos. That can’t happen. There is a ton of blame to spread around.
Trevor Lawrence threw an ugly interception that led to the game-tying score.
Cam Little missed a field goal that led to the score that gave Denver the lead.
And Jourdan Lewis got beat in man coverage by Jaylen Waddle for a big play late in the game.
Here’s the thing: All of those things added up at once.
Sort of like quicksand.
All of those things are out of the ordinary, but as the Jags tried to fight their way out, more of those out-of-the-ordinary plays kept adding up and digging them into a deeper and deeper hole. It was a hole they ultimately couldn’t dig their way out of.
Now, there are a few things I walk away from this game saying could be a problem.
Pass blocking was an issue. Lawrence didn’t have enough time to operate. The Broncos have one of the more dangerous pass-rushing defenses in the league, but the Jags have to do a better job of picking up the rush.
The flip side of that is the Jags have to do a better job of getting after the quarterback. No sacks on the day. Bo Nix had way too much time to sit back, operate and attack the one-on-one matchups down the field. Yeah, when that happens, guys like Jaylen Waddle are going to be able to eat.
Nobody loves to hear it, but games are won and lost in the trenches. Early on, when the Jags had the lead, their lines were impacting the game. Then, in the second half, they weren’t. That is when the mistakes started to add up and the Broncos took control.
This doesn’t feel like a game that exposed the Jags as posers who aren’t ready for the big stage. If anything, I’d say the opposite. This felt like a big-stage playoff-type game, where mistakes are magnified and the more physical team normally wins. In a game where not much went right for the Jags, they lost by seven points and had the lead most of the day.
But ultimately, they were stuck in quicksand and just couldn’t get out. Now, the question is: With the Patriots coming to town, can they get out before Sunday, or do they stay stuck and let one loss turn into two? That’s the dangerous part.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.