JACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville Jaguars, defending AFC South champions, travel to Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday for a Week 2 showdown against the defending AFC West champion Denver Broncos, with both teams entering at 1-0 and early-season conference positioning already on the line.
The game carries added weight given the Jaguars’ 34-20 victory over the Broncos in Denver last December, a result that figures to fuel the home team’s motivation. Denver is also coming off a 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, giving the Broncos a second reason to come out sharp.
“Anyone, anywhere, anytime” is the motto Head Coach Liam Coen has adopted for a Jaguars team that will play 11 games away from Jacksonville this season and 28 over the next two seasons. Coen has described his team as “a grimy” team that can be relied upon to play hard, play physically and be ready to play.
On offense, quarterback Trevor Lawrence is central to the Jaguars’ road formula. Lawrence has emerged since November 2025 as one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, with wide receiver Parker Washington serving as his most trusted target. Tight ends Brenton Strange and rookie Nate Boerkircher are also expected to play significant roles in Denver’s altitude environment.
Defensively, the Jaguars will look to defensive ends Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen to pressure Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, much as the Kansas City Chiefs did in Denver’s Week 1 loss. The Jaguars will also need to account for Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, whom the team’s own preview identifies as potentially the NFL’s best player at his position.
One area flagged for improvement is kickoff coverage, which surrendered 38.0 yards per return against the Cleveland Browns in the Jaguars’ 34-10 Week 1 win - a margin that went unpunished in a lopsided victory but could prove costly in a tighter contest. Sunday’s game at Empower Field kicks off the Jaguars’ stretch of difficult road tests that Coen has made a defining challenge of the 2026 season.