Jonah Coleman first blasted through contact.
Then he avoided it all together.
Combined, the two plays helped deliver the Broncos their first win of the 2026 season.
The rookie running back plowed into the end zone with 11 minutes, 47 seconds remaining to give the Broncos a 20-13 lead against Jacksonville — their first lead of the season and, ultimately, the final margin at Empower Field.
First TD for the rook!
📺: /
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos)
Coleman powered in off the right side and celebrated his first professional touchdown with a Mile High Salute.
“You’ve got to pay respect to the guys that came before you,” Coleman said. “Terrell (Davis), he and I have the same marketing rep, so we’ve talked before, talked a couple times. He’s one of the best to ever do it. I just felt like I had to pay my dues and pay my respect.
“At the end of the day, you’re playing for something bigger than yourself.”
Then he put the game on ice when he scampered around the left end, picked up a first down to seal the game and slid down inbounds before he could be wrestled toward the sideline and a potential clock stoppage.
“He has to protect the football, stay in bounds, a lot of things are going through his head while he’s trying to run the ball well,” quarterback Bo Nix said. “He did that extremely well, very efficient and then obviously capped it off with the run down the sideline where he slid in bounds.
“Thatap just really good for a young guy.”
The final drive was Denver’s most impressive in some ways. The Broncos got the ball back with 4:41 left and closed out the Jaguars without issue. They got a 29-yard pass from Nix to receiver Jaylen Waddle on third-and-3, then Coleman essentially did the rest, carrying four straight times.
Overall on the final drive, the fourth-round pick out of Washington carried six times for 33 of his 39 yards in the game.
“That certainly didn’t feel like a rookie series,” coach Sean Payton said.
