Broncos receive opening kickoff
Denver won the toss and has elected to receive. Here we go!

While it's not technically a must-win, it certainly feels that way for the Denver Broncos, who are hoping to avoid a 0-2 start to the season. To do that, the Broncos will have to defeat a Jacksonville Jaguars team that looked extremely sharp in their season opener against the Browns.
Denver is surely looking to play better following last week's 31-10 loss against the Chiefs. Specifically, the Broncos will need more production from Bo Nix, who threw for just 131 yards and was sacked four times. On defense, Denver will need to do better against the run after allowing Kenneth Walker III to rumble for 173 yards Monday night.
The Broncos' defense will also have to find a way to contain Trevor Lawrence, who nearly had as many touchdown passes (4) as incomplete passes (5) during Jacksonville's win over Cleveland. He was aided by a running game that churned out a respectable 126 yards and a defense that forced two turnovers and recorded five sacks. Among the Jaguars' defensive standouts was Josh Hines-Allen, who tallied 1.5 sacks along with a forced and recovered fumble.
We'd be remiss not to mention the historical significance of this matchup. Three decades ago, the Jaguars pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NFL playoff history when they recorded a 30-27 win in Denver in the AFC divisional round. The Broncos got their payback a year later, drubbing the Jaguars in the wild card round on their way to winning the franchise's first Super Bowl.
Who will win this matchup between AFC heavyweights? To find out, follow along in our live blog below, where we'll be providing updates, highlights and analysis throughout the game.
Denver won the toss and has elected to receive. Here we go!
Bo Nix cannot repeat Monday night's performance if they want to have a shot at winning today. They need to get Waddle and Sutton more involved, but they also need to get the running game going after having just 15 attempts last week. It's safe to say that Davis Webb is under the microscope as he enters his second game as the Broncos' play caller.
Jacksonville needs to keep Denver's offense on the field by controlling the clock and winning the field position game. They can do that by winning possession downs on both sides of the ball. That'll require a successful ground attack, which they had against Cleveland in Week 1 with Bhayshul Tuten (66 yards on 15 carries).
It was against Cleveland, but the Jaguars nonetheless had several standout performers during their Week 1 win.
Former Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow will serve today as the team's alumni flag planter. Tebow led Denver through a magical 2011 season that saw him go 7-4 as the team's starter during the regular season.
In the playoffs, Tebow led the Broncos to an improbable overtime win over the defending AFC champion Steelers. Denver won the game on the first play of OT after Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard scoring strike.
Tebow enjoyed a decorated college career that included two national championships and the 2007 Heisman Trophy.
A pristine day in Denver from a temperature standpoint. Temperature is in the low 70s with very little wind. There is a 47% chance of rain at kickoff, but that percentage dips to under 10% by the time the second quarter should start.
There's always the Denver high altitude, which could impact some members of the Jaguars.
Nix had a rough game, but it looks even worse when you compare his stats to the rest of the quarterbacks who played last week.
Nix's 115 passing yards last week was the lowest total among quarterbacks. One of the biggest surprises was Jaylen Waddle's lack of involvement, which I'm sure the Broncos will try to rectify today. Waddle was targeted just three times and caught one pass.
Denver also needs to have a more balanced attack offensively. They ran 15 times for just 61 yards. With Harvey out, expect a big workload for JK Dobbins, who can 8 times for 36 yards against Kansas City.
Due to injuries to DE Wesley Williams and LB Jack Kiser, rookie DE Bryan Thomas Jr. and and second-year LB Jalen McLeod will play in their first career NFL games. Thomas led South Carolina with 7.0 sacks last season. McLeod spent his entire rookie season on IR.
With RJ Harvey out, Jonah Coleman will serve as RB2 behind J.K. Dobbins. A rookie fourth-round pick, Coleman had one kickoff return for 27 yards during Monday night's loss to the Chiefs. The 5-foot-8, 220-pound Coleman rushed for 34 touchdowns in college and averaged an impressive 5.5 yards-per-carry.
Welcome to our live coverage of today's matchup between the Jaguars and Broncos. Jacksonville is looking to get off to a 2-0 start, while the Broncos are surely motivated to get their first win of the year after being upset at home by the Chiefs in Week 1.
We'll have both teams' inactive reports in just a moment.



















