Jaguars (10-4) at Broncos (12-2)<\/p>\n
When:\u00a02:05 p.m. Sunday<\/p>\n
Where:\u00a0Empower Field at Mile High Stadium<\/p>\n
TV\/radio:\u00a0FOX, 850 AM\/94.1 FM<\/p>\n
Broncos-Jaguars series: Despite the AFC stakes riding on this one, with the Jaguars sitting at the No. 3 seed in the conference, there\u2019s not much shared history in this matchup. Denver has never played Jacksonville in the Sean Payton era, and new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen hasn\u2019t played at Mile High since he was a receivers coach with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018. The Broncos are 7-6 against Jacksonville all-time, with their last game a 21-17 win in October 2022.<\/p>\n
In the spotlight: Who in this Denver secondary checks whom in the Jaguars passing game?<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the Jaguars officially inked receiver Jakobi Meyers to a three-year, $60 million extension after just six games with the franchise, a nod to how dynamic the former Raider has been since joining Jacksonville at the trade deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s made a huge difference,\u201d Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said of Meyers Thursday. \u201cWhen you watch the early part of the season without Jakobi, it\u2019s a good offense still. But he\u2019s added a toughness, a smarts that veteran receivers add to an offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe quarterback likes going to this receiver, and that\u2019s something that they\u2019ve worked out fairly quickly. He\u2019s a blocker. We faced him twice a year for three years now, and he\u2019s always been a good player. His toughness and consistency as a player has helped this offense go to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meyers has 27 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns in his six games in Jacksonville, production that makes Joseph\u2019s life rather difficult. Sunday will no longer bring a Colorado reunion for Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter, who is on IR after a season-ending injury in November. But surging quarterback Trevor Lawrence has a wide array of weapons and no true WR1 in Jacksonville, raising a question about the matchup for Broncos\u2019 shutdown corner Pat Surtain: Will he shadow one wideout or simply try to take away a side of the field?<\/p>\n
The Jaguars, of course, have second-year wideout Brian Thomas Jr., who\u2019s regressed after a Pro Bowl rookie year in 2024 but still has 601 yards in 11 games this season. There\u2019s third-year burner Parker Washington, too, whose involvement varies week to week but has 39 catches in 13 games. Tight end Brenton Strange is authoring a quiet breakout, with 395 yards in nine games. And don\u2019t forget about old Broncos buddy Tim Patrick, who had five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown just two weeks ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see him having the success that he\u2019s having, man \u2014 it makes me happy, brings joy to me, because he\u2019s a guy who deserves it,\u201d receiver Courtland Sutton said Thursday, who played with Patrick from 2018-2023 in Denver.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had our friendly banters already, going back and forth,\u201d Sutton continued, smiling. \u201cBut he said he\u2019s not talking to me for the rest of the week, until after the game. So we\u2019ll see how that\u201d goes.<\/p>\n
The Broncos faced a similarly multidimensional passing game in last Sunday\u2019s 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers, as Surtain generally spent his time on Packers WR1 Christian Watson \u2014 and held him to one catch on three targets, including perhaps the most impressive interception of Surtain\u2019s five-year Broncos career. Joseph could slide him around more on Jacksonville, or elect to slot him on Meyers if he believes the new addition is a true ceiling-raiser for the Jaguars\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n
The most interesting matchup, though, would be Thomas. The athletic Jaguars wideout has caught only two of his 16 targets this season when facing a tight window, according to the NFL\u2019s Next Gen Stats. Surtain just forced a tight window on all three of those Watson targets last week. And the Jaguars are 2-2, moreover, when Thomas has caught less than 50% of his targets in a game this season.<\/p>\n
The Broncos, then, could largely turn to nickel Ja\u2019Quan McMillian when Meyers plays from the slot. But Jacksonville is using Meyers significantly more out wide than the Raiders did in the early part of 2025, another nod in favor of a potential Surtain matchup.<\/p>\n
In any case, the right combination will be particularly important without the presence of safety Brandon Jones (placed on injured reserve this week), who\u2019s quietly been one of the NFL\u2019s best safeties in coverage since joining the Broncos in 2024. And Joseph will need to plug some holes that have popped up in recent weeks against one of the hottest offenses in the NFL.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all have a lot of confidence in what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said this week. \u201cIt just seems like we got the ball rolling, the last few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who has the edge?<\/p>\n
When Broncos run: This is a heck of a matchup for Denver rookie RJ Harvey, who\u2019s coming off a late rib injury against the Packers last week. Jacksonville has the top-ranked run defense in the NFL, and play heavy doses of base personnel, and allow just 3.6 yards per run play when playing in that base personnel. The Broncos haven\u2019t been able to generate chunk plays in the run game since J.K. Dobbins went down a month ago, and have put a combined 36 carries on Harvey\u2019s shoulders the past two weeks. He\u2019ll need to do more Sunday. Edge: Jaguars<\/p>\n
When Broncos pass:\u00a0The Jaguars have only surrendered over 200 passing yards to any individual quarterback once in their past four matchups. That being said, here\u2019s the quarterbacks who Jacksonville\u2019s faced in those four matchups: Cardinals backup Jacoby Brissett, Titans rookie Cam Ward, Colts rookie backup Riley Leonard, Jets rookie backup Brady Cook. Not exactly a Murderer\u2019s Row. Bo Nix, too, should have his full complement of weapons back this week with rookie Pat Bryant rejoining the fold. Slight edge: Broncos<\/p>\n
When Jaguars run:\u00a0Lawrence\u2019s old Clemson teammate Travis Etienne has had arguably the best season of his career, but has slowed considerably in recent weeks, only averaging more than four yards a carry in one game since November. Jacksonville will be down rookie RB2 Bhayshul Tuten, too, who\u2019s made an impact with six touchdowns in spot touches for Etienne this season. Denver gave up 71 yards on 12 carries to Josh Jacobs on the ground last week against the Packers, but that was Josh Jacobs.\u00a0Edge: Broncos<\/p>\n