While still the No. 1 seed in the AFC Conference, as of this writing, the Broncos are 12-3 after a Week 16 loss to the Trevor Lawrence-led Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars, currently, are the No. 3 seed in the AFC. Their odds to win the No. 1 seed increased to 21.3%, while the Broncos’ odds decreased to 53.3%. The race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC Conference is officially going to be a photo finish — thanks to the aforementioned Lawrence.
Sean Payton on Trevor Lawrence
Broncos head coach Sean Payton talked about the Jaguars’ offense after the game. While he didn’t name Lawrence, it’s painfully obvious Payton is referring to him (and his four total touchdowns in Week 16). The latter hopes, obviously, Week 16 is an anomaly.
Payton said, “Well it’d better be. I said this to the team. I said, ‘Part of this process is not fooling ourselves. They beat us tonight. They beat us good in all three areas, and it starts with me.’ Even though that hurts going down, you can’t spit it out and you have to swallow it. That’s the truth. They beat us in all three areas. We have to coach better. We have to look at what we’re doing. We have to make sure we’re not doing too much, and we have to do that all on a quick turnaround.”
The Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17 on a Christmas edition of “Thursday Night Football.” That said, it’s not all bad for the Broncos. Even in defeat, it wasn’t a bad game for the offense at least. Denver’s offense actually outgained the Jaguars’ offense 445-346 on three fewer plays. And in the midst of the chaos, running back RJ Harvey kept proving Broncos head coach Sean Payton right. All told, the former totaled 11 touches for 121 yards and a touchdown.
Denver’s defense, of course, will look to rebound on a short week in Week 17. The Broncos have yet to lock up the AFC West, so this get-right spot is huge.
Elsewhere for the Broncos, these five players aren’t expected back in 2026. Hopefully for Broncos fans, Broncos general manager George Paton can add one of these five players to fill the void.
