The Jacksonville Jaguars will be heading out west looking to expand their winning streak to two games after coming off an important loss to the Tennessee Titans. This week, they’ll be up against a 0-3 Denver Broncos team who will be very hungry to get out of the first quarter of their season with at least a win. Often times, desperate teams bring a great deal of fight with them, and that almost certainly will be the case for Denver.
We reached out to Broncos Wire managing editor Jon Heath to get a little info on the Vic Fangio’s group who will be looking to get on the right path. Here are five burning questions he was kind enough to answer:
Jaguars Wire: The Broncos are off to a slow start at 0-3. What’s been the key reasons behind that?
Jon Heath: Denver’s offense just hasn’t been able to punch it in in the red zone. The team has been marching up and down the field and controlling the clock but the Broncos have failed to score more than 16 points in a game this season. Denver turned it over three times last week, which obviously didn’t help, either. The offense needs a way to score touchdowns in the red zone to end the losing streak.
JW: Could you go into details about what’s going on with the Broncos’ defense? They have one of the best pass rushing duos in football and other solid players on the unit but the results aren’t matching.
JH: The Broncos have held a lead for about two minutes through three weeks of play. The defense has also been allowing three-yard to four-yard gains on first and second downs, allowing third-and-short situations. It’s hard to get sacks when the opponent isn’t trailing and isn’t facing many third-and-long situations. At some point, the sacks will start flowing.
JW: This April, the Broncos put together a very strong draft class that caught some eyes, especially at the top. Could you talk about how guys like Noah Fant and Dalton Risner have fared?
JH: Dalton Risner has been absolutely fantastic. He hasn’t been penalized yet and has only allowed one sack so far. Risner literally carried running back Phillip Lindsay into the end zone against Green Bay last week and looks like a great pick. It’s too early to tell with Noah Fant because Denver’s offense hasn’t gotten him involved much yet.
JW: Who is an under-the-radar player to watch on offense and defense?
JH: Cornerback Isaac Yiadom has been terrible this season and was benched mid-game in Week 3 in favor of De’Vante Bausby. Bausby led the AAF in interceptions and pass breakups in the spring and may start over Yiadom on Sunday. He will be a player to watch.
On offense, Jeff Heuerman has had a quiet start to the season but the Broncos want to get their tight ends more involved. Heuerman and Fant will be players to watch.
JW: What are your predictions for the game?
JH: The Jaguars looked great last week but Denver is so hard to beat on the road. My prediction is a 21-17 win for the Broncos.
