7 Things we learned from Broncos 20-13 win vs Jacksonville

Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos just got a massive win.

That second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars was a thing of beauty. Balanced offense. Great execution. Defensive dominance. It all led to a 20-13 win that the doomers said was impossible.

With this win, the Broncos improve to 1-1 on the season and have fans feeling much better.

Here are the things that we learned from this victory in Denver’s home opener.

This is one of the oldest clichés in the NFL, but it’s still true. And it was on full exhibit on Sunday.

You never know what will happen. And to make judgments based on one game, especially the first of the season, on the road, no matter how ugly, is foolhardy. Nix and the Broncos showed why.

In the second half, Denver looked and played like the team we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. Now the challenge is not to get carried away the other way because of this win.

But it was fantastic to see from Nix and the Broncos.

The first half was a carryover from the game against the Chiefs, but something clicked in the second half for Nix and the offense. The Denver quarterback was efficient, hit on some big pass plays, and he used his legs to pick up some downs.

For the game, Nix was 22-for-31 passing for 288 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Perhaps even better for the Bronos offense is that Nix and Jaylen Waddle clicked. Nix hit Waddle for eight catches and 138 yards.

If this is the appetizer of what these two can do, yes, please.

Not only did Denver have success through the air, but it also did so on the ground against a stout run defense.

The Broncos finished with just 104 yards rushing, but they were hard-fought yards that led to a balanced attack in the second half.

Rookie running back Jonah Coleman led Denver with 39 yards on 10 carries, including a 12-yard run on second-and-11 that sealed the game. Coleman also had a 3-yard touchdown run. Great game from the rookie.

J.K. Dobbins added 10 carries for 36 yards before dealing with a hamstring injury.

What we saw from the Broncos offense in the second half was great to see.

Of course, it helps to have players execute and make plays, but Webb deserves some credit for the game he called in the second half.

You could tell he and Nix were gaining confidence and were in a great rhythm in the second half. After the struggles in Week 1, this was another great development for Denver.

There were a lot of doubters after the opening week in Kansas City.

The Broncos defense responded in a big way and not only showed up, but showed out.

Denver held the Jaguars offense to 95 yards rushing and just 173 yards passing for 268 total yards. The Broncos didn’t give up big plays and forced a big turnover from Trevor Lawrence. More importantly, the Broncos corrected the tackling issues.

Kudos to Denver’s defense for that response. To hold Lawrence and the Jaguars to 13 points is a helluva feat.

When your defense is shredded, the coordinator takes the flak.

Well, Joseph should get credit for how his unit responded and played on Sunday. The Broncos looked like a completely different team against Jacksonville, but his defensive plan clearly worked. As well as the message he and the other coaches delivered earlier in the week.

Getting your players to refocus and put an embarrassing showing behind you on a short week is a testament to Payton and his coaches’ masterful leadership.

Whatever Payton did and said clearly worked, and the players responded.

And while it may not mean much for this game, Payton showed excellent clock and game management by calling a timeout after the first play, when Coleman lost a yard on first down. The thought being, regardless of the next play’s result, it would lead to the 2-minute warning. Obviously, it didn’t matter given Coleman’s 12-yard run, but that type of clock and game management from Payton will pay off as the season progresses.

Now Payton can be even harder on his team after a win, which is what Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells used to do.