Welcome to Big Cat Country’s staff roundtable!
Today, we’re previewing Week 2’s matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos at Mile High.
Question 1: What did you learn about the Jaguars in their decisive Week 1 win?
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Travis Holmes: I learned, in a small way, what type of offense they want to be, while still acknowledging who they are. Opening the game with four straight rushes and two play-action passes (out of three attempts in the opening drive) clearly drew a line in the sand on this staff’s expectations for 2026. Their desire to be a run-the-ball, play-action squad, while still featuring an extremely deep receiving room, provides a lot of flexibility for Coen and his staff. They’re aware that the passing game needs to better flow through the run and called the game accordingly, with 11 of Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez’s 21 combined carries coming in the first half. That clearly spells balance and a purposeful push for a run game not impacted by game script.
Gus Logue: I learned that Jacksonville will get contributions from its rookie class sooner than we all thought. TE Nate Boerkircher’s blocking ability offers Liam Coen immediate personnel flexibility; LG Emmanuel Pregnon looks like a rare plug-and-play first-year lineman; and WR Josh Cameron already earned snaps in high-leverage spots like red zone, where he caught one of the best touchdowns of Trevor Lawrence’s career in Week 1. The Jaguars didn’t make any splashy additions in the offseason, but clearly, that doesn’t mean that they didn’t get better.
Henry Zimmer: I think the Jaguars, and specifically Trevor Lawrence, proved this passing attack is legit. The second year of this offense looks polished, and the wide receivers clearly have trust and a connection with Lawrence. The more time, the better for that specific group.
Question 2: Who’s a player who wasn’t a major factor in last season’s win at Denver but will make their presence felt on Sunday?
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Travis: Dennis Gardeck and Branson Combs both have an opportunity to make a major impact after not factoring much into last season’s dominant victory at Mile High. Both Gardeck and Combs ended that matchup with just one tackle each, with Combs being primarily a depth special teams player at the time.
Enter 2026, with the Broncos offense struggling mightily against pressure in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. In limited Week 1 snaps, both Combs and Gardeck showed an ability to pressure the quarterback, with Gardeck providing two pressures on nine rushes (22.2% pressure rate) and Combs getting home on his lone Week 1 blitz. Both ended the game with a quarterback hit, with Combs also collecting the aforementioned sack.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was pressured on 45.5% of his dropbacks last week, and he was sacked four times, finishing 2-of-10 for five yards, an interception, and two strip-sacks on those pressured attempts. The primary candidates (Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Arik Armstead) will rightfully grab much of the attention and snaps. However, I think the role players, such as these two, may eventually make the key plays in this one when all is said and done.
Gus: Travis Hunter, who was already on injured reserve by the time these teams matched up last season. I found his All-22 tape from last week encouraging. If the Jaguars are really a Super Bowl contender, their best players have to step up in big-time moments, and Hunter is among that group. Sunday is a prime opportunity for him to come down with his first career interception.
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Henry: Last year’s game only featured one sack of quarterback Bo Nix. Can Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen continue from last week and run up the sacks against the Broncos? Nix showed a shakiness against the Chiefs that the Jags could seemingly exploit. If the defensive line steps up, it could be a long day for Nix and company.
Question 3: What’s a matchup you’re looking forward to watching?
Travis: Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto against Anton Harrison will be a popcorn-worthy matchup on Sunday. The two-time All-Pro pass rusher is coming off a 14-sack 2025 season, while Harrison is entering his second regular-season game as an NFL left tackle. Following the Browns matchup, where Harrison gave up just one pressure while facing Jared Verse, his next test will be a significantly larger challenge.
Gus: Bhayshul Tuten against Nick Singleton, who missed a whopping 5 tackles in Denver’s season-opening loss at Kansas City. The entire Broncos defense looked like they had never tackled before in that game, but Singleton especially is a weak link for what was the No. 3 scoring defense a season ago. Expect Liam Coen to go after the soon-to-be 33-year-old linebacker. Tuten… let’s see what you got!
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Henry: I want to see how the Jags receivers stack up against the Broncos secondary again. Everyone knows that Pat Surtain II is legit, but Parker Washington did have almost 150 yards against this defensive backfield last season. The Chiefs ran the ball super effectively against the Broncos, but this is a pass-first offense in Jacksonville. Let’s see how they continue to throw it around.
Final score prediction?
Travis: Jaguars 31, Broncos 17
Gus: Jaguars 34, Broncos 14
Henry: Jaguars 24, Broncos 17
What are your Week 2 predictions, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments!
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