DENVER _ The Jaguars were mistake prone, overmatched at the line of scrimmage and not even quarterback Gardner Minshew could provide much magic.
But all of that came in the first half when they trailed the Denver Broncos by a 17-6 deficit.
In the second half, the Jaguars rolled off 17 unanswered points behind Minshew and running back Leonard Fournette that spark an amazing comeback surge.
But their remarkable 26-24 victory wasn't sealed until Josh Lambo nailed a 33-yard field goal as time expired.
It came down to Lambo because the Jaguars defense gave up a six-play, 75-play drive that was capped by quarterback Joe Flacco's 8-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton with 1:32 remaining. On the ensuing drive, Minshew moved the Jaguars downfield
With the win, Jaguars (2-2) moved into a four-way tie atop the AFC South with a victory. The Jaguars (2-2) also won back-to-back games for the first time since 2018 when they beat the New York Giants and New England to open the season. It came with their best player, Jalen Ramsey, watched from the sidelines because of a sore back and was ruled out just less than two hours before kickoff.
Fournette rushed for a career-high 225yards, averaged 7.8 yards per game. Last week, Coach Doug Marrone said fixing their struggling ground game was a point of emphasis. It sure looked like they got the message and for a change delivered. Fournette was nothing less than impressive, hitting the holes quick and having little trouble getting to the second level of the Broncos defense.
On their opening drive after halftime, the Jaguars wore down the Broncos with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that extended for more 10 minutes. They used a mix of Minshew throws and Fournette punishing runs.
On the final play of the drive, Minshew looked like a magician.
He darted forward and then back to allude two would-be tacklers after the pocket collapsed. In just a nick of time, Minshdw spotted backup running back Ryquell Armstead in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass.
On their next drive, Fournette broke off a 81-yard run that put the Jaguars at the Denver 12. Three plays later, the Jaguars were back in the end zone when Minshew connected to tight end James O'Shaughnessy for an 18-yard touchdown that gave them a 20-17 lead.
In a loud hostile environment at Empower Field at Mile High, Minshew consistently saw his pocket collapse from all angles. Denver's Von Miller came hard from the left and Bradley Chubb made his presence felt from the left. Tackles Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor did what they could, but it was far from effective.
The Broncos came in as the first time to head into Week Sunday with their first takeaway and first sack, which became an official stat in 1982. But they sacked Minshew five times. Miller registered two sacks
The Broncos struck first, taking advantage of poor Jaguars tackling that led to a 28-yard rush by Phillip Lindsay, his longest carry of the year, that put the Broncos deep in Jacksonville territory. One play later, quarterback Joe Flacco's screen pass to tight end Noah Fant went for 25 yards to the end zone through a string of missed tackles.
Later in the second quarter, Flacco picked on cornerback Tre Herndon, who replaced Ramsey in the starting lineup. Flacco connected with Emmanuel Sanders on a 39-yard pass down the sideline against Herndon, then beat him again on a 7-yard score to Courtland Sutton.
