The undefeated Denver Broncos took on the win-less Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon in Denver, Colorado. The game was expected by everybody to be a huge blowout in favor of the Broncos. The point differential between these two teams throughout the beginning of the season was the largest differential in the history of the NFL. Coming into this game, the Jaguars had scored 51 points on the season, while the Broncos scored exactly 51 points in their previous game alone!
When the game started, the Broncos quickly took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Once the second quarter began, the game started to get unexpectedly close. The Jaguars’ offense drove down the field multiple times, resulting in two unanswered field goals in the quarter. With the score 14-6, the Broncos took the field with little time left in the half. Peyton Manning then threw an interception to Paul Posluszny who proceeded to take the pick back for a 51-yard touchdown, making the score 14-12 to go into halftime. The Broncos fans were so appalled by the halftime score that they began booing their home team as they went into the locker room. The Broncos opened the third quarter with a touchdown drive, but this drive was again surprisingly matched by an offensive touchdown drive by the Jaguars. No one in the entire country expected this game to be this close as the game approached the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, this would be the last points of the day for the Jaguars as the Broncos dominated the remainder of the game. They scored two more touchdowns, making the final score of the game 35-19.
Although the Jacksonville Jaguars did not win the game, they gained a lot of respect around the league for their performance. They played the best defense of any team against Peyton Manning this season, and showed that they can compete with any team no matter how big the odds are.