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Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars - Free NFL Pick - September 20, 2026

Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars – Free NFL Pick – September 20, 2026

Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars : 176 yards against 34 points, two starts at opposite ends NFL

Denver managed just 176 total yards in its opener. Jacksonville put 34 points on the board over the same weekend.

The Broncos kicked off their season on Monday night against Kansas City and walked away with a 31-10 loss. The Jaguars handled their business the night before, crushing Cleveland 34-10.

Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes in that win, completing 18 of 23 attempts for 245 yards. That kind of efficiency puts the Jacksonville quarterback straight into the early-season form guide.

The game is at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday 20 September at 22:05 Paris time.

Even so, the market has Denver as 2.5-point favourites, with the total set at 45.5. That line owes more to home field and the altitude than anything either side showed in Week 1.

The projections are split on this one. One model makes Denver a 59% favourite, while another calls a 24-23 Jacksonville win.

One defensive stat tells the story more clearly than any probability ever could: the Broncos missed 28 tackles against Kansas City and gave up 247 yards after those misses. No defence survives long doing that.

Both teams came into the season with AFC playoff ambitions. One week in, the gap in how they are being viewed is already obvious.

That 45.5 total suggests a looser game than Denver’s opening-day output would imply. The bookmakers are banking on an offensive response from the Broncos in front of their own fans.

Mile High’s altitude is still the hardest factor to pin down. It tends to bite late, when defensive rotations start to thin out.

Denver Broncos : a defence that no longer tackles Denver Broncos

Denver lost 31-10 to the Chiefs to close out Week 1. The score tells part of the story; the offence confirms the rest: only 176 yards in four quarters.

That total put the Broncos among the least productive attacks of opening weekend. Bo Nix never found a way to get into a rhythm against the pressure in front of him.

The real problem, though, is on the other side of the ball. 28 missed tackles in one game points to a collective breakdown, not just a bad night for a few individuals.

The 247 yards allowed after those misses show the damage. Kansas City turned short gains into long drives without having to do anything special.

The injury report does not make life any easier for the staff. Bradley Chubb is listed as questionable, while Graham Glasgow is doubtful for this one.

Mile High is a real advantage, with the altitude wearing visitors down late on. But Denver has to keep the game alive long enough to cash that in.

The schedule did the Broncos no favours in Week 1. Opening against Kansas City on Monday night, with Patrick Mahomes back after a torn ACL, was about as rough a draw as it gets.

That context softens the blow of the 176 yards to a point. It does not explain 28 missed tackles, which is about basics, not the strength of the opponent.

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Jacksonville Jaguars : Trevor Lawrence keeps rolling Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville opened with a commanding 34-10 win over Cleveland. Four touchdown passes for Lawrence, 245 yards and 18 completions on 23 attempts.

That sits inside a bigger run: 22 touchdown passes and only four interceptions over his last eight regular-season games. It’s the kind of efficiency that puts Lawrence in a rare groove since arriving in the league.

The defence, meanwhile, smothered a Cleveland offensive line that could not keep Deshaun Watson upright, with five sacks. Jacksonville built its lead by owning the trenches.

The trip to altitude is the biggest hurdle of the weekend for the Jaguars. Teams coming from sea level often fade late in the fourth quarter in Denver.

Still, against a defence that missed 28 tackles a week ago, Jacksonville’s offence looks tailor-made for the matchup. Receivers who can create after the catch should find room.

Being a 2.5-point underdog after a 34-10 win against an offence that managed just 176 yards is the glaring mismatch in the line. The market still hasn’t fully caught up with what each team showed in Week 1.

Jacksonville held a joint practice with Tampa Bay in late August, a sign of a serious, high-level prep. That intensity showed in the control it had against Cleveland.

The battle between Jacksonville’s offensive line and a battered Denver front is the technical key to the game. With Bradley Chubb questionable, the pressure on Lawrence may not be consistent enough.

NFL Pick Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Our pick: Jacksonville Jaguars to win

Denver missed 28 tackles in one game and allowed 247 yards after those errors. Jacksonville has a quarterback with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions over his last eight outings, exactly the kind of profile that punishes that sort of breakdown.

The Broncos also come in with just 176 yards from their opener and two key names on the injury report, Bradley Chubb and Graham Glasgow. Jacksonville, for its part, controlled the trenches against Cleveland and showed no obvious cracks as a unit.

The underdog tag makes the price look better than the actual gap between the sides. Jacksonville can win at Mile High.

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