Jaylen Waddle got a game ball after ‘great’ game in Broncos’ home opener

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle had a breakout performance in his first game in front of his new home crowd in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the Broncos‘ 20-13 win over Jacksonville, Waddle had a team-high eight catches on 10 targets for 138 yards.

Waddle’s biggest statistical play of the day was a 49-yard catch that put the Broncos inside the Jaguars‘ one-yard line. Waddle broke down his play, crediting quarterback Bo Nix, as well as wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant, for helping spring him open.

“It’s just Bo being Bo,” Waddle said of the catch in his postgame press conference. “Bo extending; he’s very athletic. Scrambling right, and kinda just threw it out there and let me go out there and try to make a play for him. But to credit, ‘Court’ and Pat did a good job holding down the safeties, allowing me to have that one-on-one leverage on the corner to go out there and make that play. Everyone did a great job.”

🗣️Jaylen Waddle walks us through his 49-yard catch: #broncoscountryhttps://t.co/xKoqeAyhf8pic.twitter.com/9iG6Ojj93y

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— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) September 21, 2026

Waddle’s big day also had an air of history behind it. Waddle’s 138 yards in his Broncos debut were the second-most yards recorded by a new player in franchise history since 1975, when Ring of Famer Rick Upchurch had 153 yards in his Denver debut. Waddle’s 138 yards were also the fifth-most yards in a game in his career, and his most since November 2024, when he had a 144-yard output against the New England Patriots. Waddle earned a game ball from coach Sean Payton after the performance.

“It was significant,” Payton said of Waddle’s impact. “You can see the explosiveness, the run after the catch, all of those things. I’m glad he’s ours… He had one of those breakout games. That was great to see. He’s kind of infectious. You guys have covered him now. He doesn’t have bad days. He likes football. He’s a real good teammate. We needed it. It was good for our offense.”

🗣️Sean Payton on Jaylen Waddle’s impact on today’s win over Jacksonville:

“It was significant…glad he’s ours.” #broncoscountrypic.twitter.com/CjH254yR4F

— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) September 21, 2026

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix also spoke about Waddle’s impact on Sunday’s game.

“Jaylen played great,” Nix said postgame. “He had a great game. [He] did a great job in man, did a great job in zone. Started off with that big completion down the field and that sort of got him going. He just showed his swagger all day, he showed enthusiasm, he’s got a passion about him, he’s just a great teammate and he just plays the right way, and he gets rewarded because of it.”

🗣️Bo Nix on Jaylen Waddle:

“He just plays the game the right way and gets rewarded because of it.” #broncoscountrypic.twitter.com/ohDtFfB0m6

— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) September 21, 2026

Waddle is sure to be a huge part of the Broncos‘ gameplan moving forward. When Waddle eats, the whole team flourishes.

Week 3 will provide Waddle and Co.’s biggest test yet of the young season, a primetime matchup with the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.

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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Jaylen Waddle got a game ball after ‘great’ game in Broncos’ home opener