Broncos defeat Jaguars 21-17 in London, Jacksonville drops fifth-straight game

The Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars squared off in London on a Sunday morning (at least here in the United States). The Jaguars lost to the Broncos by a final score of 21-17.

The Jaguars have now lost five games in a row and fall to 2-6 on the 2022 season. Jacksonville also move to 4-5 all-time in games played in the U.K. Meanwhile, the Broncos improve to 3-5 on the campaign. Despite the rain coming down, the game also broke the attendance record for an NFL International Series game played in the U.K. with a crowd of 86,215.

Denver received the ball to open the game and immediately went three-and-out. Quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked on third down by Jaguars outside linebacker Arden Key to force a punt.

Jacksonville then got the ball for its opening possession of the game, but was quickly forced to punt as well.

However, just two plays later, the Jaguars came up big on defense. Cornerback Tyson Campbell intercepted Wilson on a pass intended for wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

The Jaguars then took advantage of the turnover. Jacksonville took over at Denver’s 37-yard line, and found the end zone five plays later. Lawrence connected with tight end Evan Engram on a 22-yard touchdown strike.

The Jaguars got on the scoreboard first and took a 7-0 lead following the extra point from kicker Riley Patterson.

The Broncos were quickly forced to punt on the ensuing possession. Jacksonville took over at its own 19-yard line and proceeded to march down the field.

The Jaguars drove 80 yards on 13 plays, eventually getting all the way down to the Broncos’ goal line. However, the drive ended in disaster as Lawrence was intercepted by Denver safety Justin Simmons.

Jacksonville’s defense held following the turnover, however, and quickly forced a three-and-out and punt. The Jaguars then drove 54 yards to tack on a field goal. Patterson drilled the 37-yarder to put Jacksonville up 10-0 in the second quarter.

Denver kept fighting, though, and responded on its next drive. The Broncos took the ball 75 yards on 11 plays. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was a crucial part of the scoring drive, as he caught a 25-yard pass and the eventual six-yard touchdown to cut the Jaguars’ lead to 10-7.

The 10-7 score would hold after two quarters of play, and the Jaguars took the three-point advantage into the locker rooms at halftime.

Jacksonville received the ball to begin the second half, but was eventually forced to punt. Punter Logan Cooke pinned Denver at its own 2-yard line, but that did not deter the Broncos.

Denver drove 98 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. Tight end Greg Dulcich started the possession with an 18-yard gain, and later had 22-yard and 38-yard receptions. Eventually, running back Melvin Gordon found the end zone on a one-yard run. The Broncos took a 14-10 lead with 5:07 remaining in the third quarter.

After that, the teams traded several punts. Late in the third quarter, Jacksonville sacked Wilson on third-and-8 as outside linebacker Travon Walker and defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot combined to take him down.

Finally, late in the fourth quarter, there was another score. Jacksonville moved the ball 47 yards on six plays. Lawrence connected with wide receiver Christian Kirk for a 25-yard game to begin the possession. The drive was capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by running back Travis Etienne Jr.

The Jaguars regained the lead at 17-14 with just 3:54 left to play.

The Broncos wasted no time in responding, though. Denver put together a seven-play, 80-yard drive — sparked by a 47-yard pass from Wilson to wide receiver K.J. Hamler on the first play — to retake the lead with limited time remaining.

Running back Latavius Murray ended the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. Denver took the lead at 21-17 with just 1:43 remaining on the game clock.

The Jaguars had a chance to answer, with two timeouts remaining, but Lawrence made a critical mistake on the first play of the drive.

Lawrence was looking for Kirk, but was intercepted by cornerback K’Waun Williams. Williams, who was playing with a cast on his right arm, made a great play on the ball to pick off Lawrence and eventually ice the game for the Broncos.

The Broncos would run then run the clock out, going for it and converting on a fourth-and-1 rush by Wilson.

Denver won by the final score of 21-17. All six of Jacksonville’s losses this season have been by eight points or less.

One bright spot on the day for Jacksonville was Etienne. He rushed 24 times for 156 yards (6.5 yards per carry) and had the aforementioned touchdown.

The Jaguars will return to Jacksonville next week to take on the Las Vegas Raiders at TIAA Bank Field. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. Eastern Time and will broadcast in local markets on CBS.