Jaylen Waddle’s quiet Denver debut flips into a 138-yard day in a Broncos’ 20-13 comeback over Jags


DENVER (AP) — Jaylen Waddle and Jonah Coleman’s led a big second-half comeback by the Denver Broncos, who snapped the Jacksonville Jaguars’ nine-game regular-season winning streak with a 20-13 victory Sunday.

After catching just one pass for 2 yards in his Denver debut, Waddle had eight catches for 138 yards and Coleman’s 3-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter capped a 17-0 Broncos blitz after they’d fallen behind 13-3 early in the third quarter.

Advertisement

After allowing a field goal to open the second half, the Broncos (1-1) responded with a field goal, a 7-yard touchdown toss from Bo Nix to Nate Adkins and Coleman’s first career TD, which came with 7:21 remaining after starter J.K. Dobbins had left with a hamstring injury.

The Jaguars (1-1), who had won their past nine regular-season games and by a combined 177 points, including a 34-20 win in Denver last December, punted on their next possession and the Broncos chewed up final 4:41 of game clock with Coleman running six times for 33 yards.

Trevor Lawrence led Jacksonville on three scoring drives as the Jaguars built a 13-3 lead on Bhayshul Tuten’s 1-yard touchdown run and two field goals by Cam Little, from 44 and 23 yards.

Little was wide left on a 54-yard try in the fourth quarter before Denver’s go-ahead touchdown drive.

Advertisement

The Broncos tightened up things on defense after missing a whopping 28 tackles in their season-opening loss at Kansas City six days earlier and they finally got the ball into Waddle’s hands.

The Broncos got off to a slow start, failing to punch the ball into the end zone after Waddle’s 49-yard reception at the 1 in the first half, settling instead for Wil Lutz’s 20-yard field goal.

And Nix was picked off in the end zone by Jourdan Lewis, which led to Little’s 44-yarder as time expired, giving Jacksonville a 10-3 halftime lead.

The Jaguars stalled at the Denver 5-yard line on the opening drive of the second half and Little’s 23-yarder made it 13-3.

Advertisement

The Jaguars caught a big break on the game’s opening drive when an illegal contact flag on cornerback Riley Moss negated a strip-sack by Nik Bonitto and recovery by Alex Singleton deep in Jacksonville territory.

Mile High comeback

Tim Tebow returned to Empower Field at Mile High for the first time since throwing an 80-yard touchdown pass to the late Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 8, 2012.

The former Broncos QB and Jacksonville native served as the Broncos’ alumni flag planter and was recognized as the Broncos’ “Legend of the Game” for their home opener.

Up next

Jaguars: host the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Broncos: host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Week 2 NFL highlights: Best plays, moments, touchdowns, more

    NFL NationSep 20, 2026, 08:42 PM ET Close NFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+…

    Continue reading
    England v Pakistan Third Test: Dan Lawrence races to a half-century

    England batter Dan Lawrence races to a half-century during the morning session in day two of the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston, as he chases his first Test hundred.…

    Continue reading

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Week 2 NFL highlights: Best plays, moments, touchdowns, more

    Week 2 NFL highlights: Best plays, moments, touchdowns, more

    Oxford Report Puts Fashion’s Farmland ‘Influence’ at 30 Percent

    Oxford Report Puts Fashion’s Farmland ‘Influence’ at 30 Percent

    One Mobile Number, Two Phones: What Is iPhone Handoff And Which Carriers Support It?

    One Mobile Number, Two Phones: What Is iPhone Handoff And Which Carriers Support It?

    Scene after ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas

    Scene after ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas

    Newsom signs "Jay Leno's Law," allowing classic cars to hit the streets for short trips

    Newsom signs "Jay Leno's Law," allowing classic cars to hit the streets for short trips

    Orbitals Is An Antidote For Hazelight’s Miserable Characters

    Orbitals Is An Antidote For Hazelight’s Miserable Characters