The Denver Broncos were awful on Monday night against the Chiefs, but the Jacksonville Jaguars know it'll be different.
Week 1 overreactions are definitely a thing in the NFL, and the Denver Broncos were a prime example of how that works in the run-up to Week 2. The Broncos were both pilloried and propped up after their disappointing 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night, and the common theme was that overreaction was everywhere.
But the Jacksonville Jaguars are non-participants in all this, according to a piece from Jonathan Jones of The Athletic, who did a piece on Week 1 overreactions. They play the Broncos in Week 2, and the anonymous Jacksonville source Jones used looked at Denver’s 28 missed tackles as a perfect example of first-game bad tackling, adding that “it happens.”
They don’t expect it to happen again, but that same source also noted that the Broncos front looked “more human.” The Broncos defense is undersized, and the Chiefs were able to play bullyball with running back Kenneth Walker III, who’s definitely an exception when it comes to his unique combination of power and speed.
Jones also made some intriguing comments from sources who had access to the Broncos’ inner workings. The Broncos spent the week doing damage control after the disastrous debut of new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, with Sean Payton saying there was “dirt on a ton of people’s hands, starting with me.”
Webb commented on the week that was on Friday, and he said that Payton’s been his usual self in meetings this week. That could mean just about anything given how volatile Payton can be, but we’ll find out more when we see what the Broncos put on the field on Sunday.
The most intriguing comments, however, came from a rival AFC executive who described Payton as an elite play-caller. He then threw some shade at Webb, who he described as a “good dude” who also happens to be 31 and experiencing his first go-round as a play caller.
It sure looked like Webb got pantsed to at least some extent by Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and the AFC exec also mentioned Denver’s brutal early schedule as a possible issue, saying things could get “very messy” if the Broncos come out of the gate slowly.
Play-calling changes aren’t all that rare, either. As Jones pointed out, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell took over for OC John Morton in midseason last year, and there are other examples of this happening. The Jags pounded Denver at Mile High last season, so there’s plenty to watch for in Week 2.
