Mile High Report
Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos have the best record in the NFL.
They’re in control of winning the AFC West and clinching the No. 1 seed in the AFC. To accomplish both of those goals, the Broncos (12-2) look to keep rolling against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) this Sunday.
While it’s great to see Denver back in this position, as Sean Payton and the team have said, it hasn’t accomplished anything yet.
FanDuel Sportsbook likes the Broncos to extend their winning streak on Sunday. Denver is a -3-point favorite over the Jaguars. The total sits at over/under 45.5 points.
Jacksonville: Sixteenth in total offense (335.7 yards per game), 16th in rushing offense (120.7 YPG), 18th in passing offense (215.0 YPG), eighth in scoring offense (26.9 points per game).
Denver: Eleventh in total offense (345.5 yards per game), 17th in rushing offense (119.5 YPG), 11th in passing offense (226.0 YPG), 12th in scoring offense (24.4 points per game).
Jacksonville: Tenth in total defense (308.5 yards per game), first in rushing defense (86.3 YPG), 20th in passing defense (222.2 YPG), tied for 10th in scoring defense (20.9 points per game).
Denver: Fifth in total defense (287.7 yards per game), second in rushing defense (90.9 YPG), 11th in passing defense (196.9 YPG), tied for third in scoring defense (18.6 points per game).
Here are the MHR staff’s keys to Sunday’s game.
Payton, Nix, and the Broncos offense have put together back-to-back great games. And at just the right time. That all starts with the offensive line. Even before Micah Parsons got injured, Denver’s line controlled the line of scrimmage and gave Nix time in the pocket. The week before, against the Las Vegas Raiders, it did the same thing, especially in the running game. The Broncos offensive line needs to control the line of scrimmage again this Sunday. Open up running lanes for RJ Harvey. Give Nix time. Do that, and Denver will win its 12th game in a row. — Ian St. Clair
The Jaguars haven’t played a team as well built as ours. The Broncos need to play their aggressive style of defense with an offense that finds the answer to any problem the opponent puts on the field, and they will win this game easily. — sadaraine
The Jaguars have found success on offense, particularly in their running attack. Travis Etienne can be a problem for the defense. Limiting his success forces Trevor Lawrence to become one-dimensional. If the Broncos can bottle up the Jacksonville running game, it will go a long way toward winning the time-of-possession and field-position battles. — Adam Malnati
When Trevor Lawrence isn’t pressured, he is lighting up defenses in games. But when teams can generate consistent pressure, he has struggled. In one game against the Davis Mills-led Texans, they kept him clean for most of the...
