DENVER -- The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't sack Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on Sunday. They hit him only three times, including just once in the fourth quarter (by edge rusher Travon Walker).
The lack of pressure -- especially late in the game -- was a major reason the Jaguars (1-1) blew a 10-point third-quarter lead and lost 20-13 at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. Was it an aberration or a sign that 2026 will be a repeat of what happened in 2025?
And more importantly, can it be fixed -- and how?
"Hey, that's a damn good offensive line," Jaguars coach Liam Coen said of Denver's front. "I don't want to take too much away from them, but if we're going to beat a team like that, then we're going to have to create some pressure. Something that we all kind of saw Kansas City do in the game on Monday night [in Week 1 against the Broncos], and we weren't able to do that."
The Jaguars sacked Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson five times and recorded eight QB hits in Week 1. Walker and Josh Hines-Allen each had 1.5 sacks, and it was fair to begin to question whether the concern about the pass rush looking like it did in 2025 -- when the Jaguars ranked third in pressures but 27th in sacks -- was overblown. But those worries are back after Sunday's performance.
Per ESPN Research, Nix was 16-of-18 for 205 passing yards and a touchdown when the Jaguars sent four or fewer rushers. That means he was 6-of-13 for 83 yards and an interception when the Jaguars rushed five or more.
But it's a gamble to rely too much on blitzing to get pressure because it opens the defense up to big plays, especially if the rush doesn't even get to the quarterback. That happened several times against the Broncos, Coen said, but it's something the Jaguars might consider going forward.
"I think they caught us in a couple blitzes that they identified pre-snap when we were going to blitz and bring more," Coen said. "They ended up flipping the protections to pick some of that stuff up. So that's something we got to look at as well in terms of when we're bringing pressure."
Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun said the blame for the lack of pressure belongs to the entire defense, not only the pass rushers. Being better on first and second downs would have helped.
"We've got to own our details [on] first, second down," he said. "Now you're in third-and-passing situations. Sometimes they threw the ball out quick, but if you get them third and what, 12, third-and-[long], now you're really putting your ears back. We did not do that [Sunday] because we didn't own our details all the way through the downs."
Sunday's scenario was like the AFC wild-card playoff loss to the Bills in January. The Jaguars sacked Josh Allen once and hit him three times -- none of which came in the fourth quarter. Allen drove the Bills to two touchdowns to erase Jaguars' fourth-quarter leads.
"I thought that [the Broncos] did a nice job of mixing [the pass plays]," Coen said. "Not just straight dropback, right? There were play-action, moving the launch point, boots, getting them on the move a little bit. I thought they did a nice job with that. But we didn't do enough in the rush, specifically in the second half when you needed to play."
Finding a way to do that quickly will be a priority considering the Jaguars face Drake Maye, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and C.J. Stroud the next four weeks. But Jacksonville isn't overly worried.
"It's early in the season," nose tackle DaVon Hamilton said. "We've got a lot of ball to play."
