The Broncos stormed back in the second half Sunday, strung together three straight scoring drives and knocked off Jacksonville, 20-13 at Empower Field to get to 1-1 on the season.
Here are 7 thoughts after the win, which sets up a massive Sunday Night Football tilt coming up at home against the Los Angeles Rams.
1. If Davis Webb’s adjustment period to calling plays in the NFL amounts to five quarters, the Broncos are going to be just fine
Davis Webb’s play-calling debut last week did not go the way he hoped.
Of course, nothing went the way the Broncos wanted at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 1.
When Denver started Week 3 with three consecutive punts, just two first downs and a pair of critical penalties — all accentuated by smatterings of boos from the Empower Field faithful — the notion started to creep in that perhaps another dud was at hand for Webb and the Denver offense.
Instead, the first-year play-caller’s group started to show signs of life fairly quickly, even if it also spent a couple more possessions shooting itself in the foot.
Slowly but surely, Denver’s offense found its footing. Found first downs and completions. Run concepts the group wanted to get back to.
Then, at long last, the end zone. Twice.
By the end, Webb and the Broncos offense had put on a second-half clinic. Their final four drives ended in a field goal, a pair of touchdowns and then a perfectly executed 4-minute, 41-second put-away drive.
“Thatap the best feeling in the world if we don’t have to go back onto the field on defense and the offense wins the game for us,” inside linebacker Alex Singleton said.
It was probably best feeling in the world — or at least of the day — for Webb to see his group come to life over the course of Sunday afternoon.
“He stuck to the plan,” quarterback Bo Nix said of Webb. “He stuck to his gameplan and he continued to — even though at the beginning we didn’t have a lot of success and we didn’t move the ball like we wanted to and go down and score a whole bunch of touchdowns in the first quarter, he just stuck to the gameplan. By the second half, he was calling the plays and doing a really good job of getting us in good spots.”
The learning curve for Webb isn’t about football aptitude. ’s answered those questions throughout his career as a player and coach and is universally regarded as a whip-smart football mind.
The hard parts about calling plays are about sequencing and setting up opponents. Sniffing out the other side’s plan quickly, giving your players answers to the test and then also having a feel for how the game is going in all facets. Finding a solution when things aren’t going well and keeping the mojo when it is. Dialing the right call at the right time but also avoiding the wrong call at the wrong time. Winning on third down and in the red zone.
Knowing when to keep pressing on a bruise and when to change up.
After Monday’s loss at Kansas City, Webb said one thing he took away from his first time calling plays in a live environment was to not wait if he had a play he really liked. Shoot it early and don’t risk getting to the end of the game with good ideas sitting in your pocket.
Ultimately, he still had to have patience against Jacksonville. The Broncos didn’t get into a rhythm until the second quarter and even then, drives didn’t turn out the way they wanted to.
Overall, though, the drive chart looked good after the opening three punts, despite a first-and-goal breakdown and a Nix interception in the red zone.
Denver’s final six drives:
* Eight plays, 58 yards (two first downs), field goal
* Eight plays, 76 yards (three), interception
* Eight plays, 45 yards (two), field goal
* Ten plays, 64 yards (five), touchdown
* Five plays, 56 yards (five), touchdown
* Ten plays, 59 yards (three), end of game
Thatap doing work against a good defense. Five straight drives into prime scoring chances and then a put-away march.
“He responded the right way,” head coach Sean Payton said of Webb. “The meetings, how he handled the schedule and then the first half and all of that. You keep grinding at it. Things really picked up in the second half and that was important. There was a certain way we wanted to play this game. I’m pleased that we were able to play that game, especially in the second half.”
Plus, despite the up-and-down nature of his first six-plus quarters, Webb showed confidence in crunch time.
On a critical third-and-3 on Denver’s final drive of the night, Webb and the Broncos offensive staff pegged Jacksonville as almost sure to be in man coverage and dialed up a double-move for star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (eight catches for 138 yards).
A wide open Jaylen Waddle picks up a key first down 🐧
JAXvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on— NFL (@NFL)
Waddle was so open that Nix just had to lay the ball out for him and even a cautious underthrow led to a 29-yard gain and a fresh set of downs.
“We knew they were going to be in man,” Nix said.”(Waddle) got out there and double-moved them, ran a great route and at that point, (I just) keep him away from the post safety, get the completion, get a first down and then you can ice the game.”
That was a long way removed from Webb’s reaction after a bizarre broken play on third-and-goal in which a pitch from Nix to running back J.K. Dobbins had no chance of success, the offensive line got going in staggered fashion and a first-and-goal from the 1 turned into a field goal.
The broadcast showed Webb, furious, yelling unprintable words into his headset.
That drive, though, was the start of good things for Denver’s offense overall.
“We all re-evaluated after that first game,” right guard Quinn Meinerz said. “We had to do a better job of staying in front of the sticks … The thing with play-callers is we need to instill confidence during the week. We need to instill confidence on Install No. 1 when we came in for practice on Thursday, on Friday and on Saturday. I think we had a really good week of practice and then had some good runs early in the game.
“Itap just about building confidence.”
It won’t be all smooth sailing from here, but in an early season where everything is new for the play-caller, finding success is important not only for positive reinforcement but because figuring out adjustments and answers on the fly is, in many ways, the name of the game. Confidence, Payton frequently says, is born of demonstrated ability.
“What he’s doing is not easy,” tight end Evan Engram said of Webb. “First time doing it — obviously he’s had opportunities in the preseason, but that was live bullets last week and we played a good team and they played a good game. We all had plays and things we’d take back.
“Thatap how he’s built. ’s going to respond. He looked himself in the mirror and owned everything last week, as everybody did. Thatap one of my favorite things about this team is we’re all able to humble ourselves and fix what we need to fix for the betterment of the team.”
2. Jonah Coleman took full advantage of his first opportunity. More are probably coming
Broncos rookie running back Jonah Coleman moved up the depth chart by default on Sunday.
He might continue rising based on his own performance in Week 2.
Coleman was in line for a big role behind J.K. Dobbins against Jacksonville because RJ Harvey was inactive due to a hamstring injury.
Then, by the fourth quarter, Coleman was the featured back after Dobbins, too, had a hamstring issue that kept him from returning to the game.
The fourth-round draft pick out of Washington showed he’s capable of helping the Broncos’ offense from the jump.
Coleman didn’t finish with eye-popping numbers — 10 carries for 39 yards plus three catches for 19 — but the eye test doesn’t lie. All but six of Coleman’s rushing yards came on Denver’s 4-minute, 41-second closeout drive, including a pair of 12-yard bursts.
On his three catches, the bowling ball back showed soft hands and the ability to catch and transition to being a runner.
He scored his first touchdown and made a heads-up play to get down in bounds ahead of the 2-minute warning, as well.
The bottom line: He had the kind of look the Broncos were hoping for — and projecting eventually — when they picked him on Day 3 of the draft back in April.
“I saw a future starter,” running backs coach Lou Ayeni told The Post earlier this month of his pre-draft study on Coleman. “A three-down guy. I think the biggest thing is, when you watch all these backs they’re all going to be productive, they’re all going to be good with the ball in their hands. Itap what he did when the ball wasn’t in his hands.
“He took a lot of pride in pass protection.”
He also showed some pass-catching ability despite the more between-the-tackles build.
“I thought he had really soft hands,” Ayeni said, “but you never really know. It showed right away in rookie minicamp.”
The Broncos also expected Coleman would have some wiggle and tackle-breaking ability, but they don’t tackle live in camp and they had no joint practices.
It took all of a couple snaps in the preseason opener against Atlanta before Webb and Payton got on the radio and said they’d seen enough. Get Coleman out of the game.
“’s thighs, butt, ass and shoulder pads,” Ayeni said. “’s going to be a tough tackle. You saw that when we went live. ’s moving the pile forward.
“Add those things together, you have a really good player.”
A player who’s already a key on the Broncos offense and is going to continue to be, especially if Dobbins, Harvey or both miss more time.
3. Alex Singleton is oft-maligned for his coverage work, but he made a heck of a play Sunday
Inside linebacker Alex Singleton is a regular target not only by opposing offenses but by fans, too, when it comes to his coverage work.
Singleton and other defenders steadfastly maintain that coverage responsibilities aren’t always as straightforward as they look on television.
Just because he or another defender ends up chasing somebody after a completion doesn’t mean that completion was necessarily his fault.
At the same time, itap been clear for some time that teams target Singleton and fellow inside linebacker Justin Strnad in the passing game. Some of that is because there are matchups and completions to be found. Some of that is because almost anything is better than testing Pat Surtain II in coverage.
One of the underrated plays of the Broncos’ defensive effort Sunday, though, was Singleton’s work in coverage.
He had a hand in Jacksonville ending up first-and-goal at the 3-yard line on the Jags’ opening possession of the second half because of a personal foul, though he was clear in what he thought about that.
“Their coaches like to complain about people hitting people,” he said after the game. “I got a fine last year for it. I’ll probably get this one rescinded too.”
Alex Singleton asked about the red zone stop after his personal foul. The first part of his answer: "Their coaches like to complain about people hitting people. I got a fine last year for it. I’ll probably get this one rescinded too.
"They like to complain as you watched today."
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel)
Strnad and Que Robinson dropped Chris Rodriguez for a 2-yard loss, then safety Brandon Jones made a good open field tackle on Byshal Tuten for no gain.
Third-and-goal from the 5.
Lawrence looked to the middle of the field where Singleton was patrolling.
The funny thing about the play: Singleton made it by hardly going anywhere. He backpedaled briefly at the snap into the shallow part of the end zone. He and Strnad kept their right and left positioning as receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and running back LeQuint Allen ran crossing routes past each other in an attempt to get somebody to bite.
Lawrence threw the ball for Allen, but Singleton closed on him and punched the ball out at the goal line.
Allen might have scored had he caught it and, if not, Jacksonville may well have gone for it on fourth-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line early in the third quarter and already leading 10-3. Instead, the Jags settled for a field goal from the 5-yard line, led 13-3 and the Broncos stayed within striking distance.
4. An up-and-comer to watch on Payton’s staff: OLB coach Isaac Shewmaker
Payton’s staff features several up-and-coming coaches, most notably Webb and also the likes of quarterback coach Logan Kilgore and others.
Another one squarely on the list: Outside linebackers coach Isaac Shewmaker.
’s been on Payton’s staff from the start despite the fact he only graduated from Alabama in 2019. ’s seen by many around the league as a future coordinator candidate, perhaps sooner rather than later.
Joseph had Shewmaker call plays in at least one of Denver’s preseason games, too, another sign the Broncos think he has a bright future.
’s “a brilliant football mind,” All-Pro corner Pat Surtain II said in January.
And, according to All-Pro defensive tackle, he’s in charge of putting the Broncos’ red zone plan together each week.
“We had a really good plan going into it,” Allen said after Sunday’s win against Jacksonville.
Shewmaker’s got a big challenge on his hands this season with Jonathon Cooper on the commissioner’s exempt list. The Broncos have got production out of the younger guys in his room so far this summer and he got Nik Bonitto looking more like himself on Sunday against Jacksonville.
One of the next questions: How much longer can Que Robinson play behind Jonah Elliss?
Both are getting regular work in the rotation, but Robinson has played fast and aggressive through two games this fall. Elliss hasn’t been bad, but teams have tried to attack the edge on him and he looks perhaps a half-step slow so far this fall.
This summer, Shewmaker told The Post he has a lot of trust in both guys and also in Dondrea Tillman.
Shewmaker said then that the Robinson, second-year man out of Alabama “is a really good run defender. The strength and size he has, there’s not going to be many tight ends that can block him. Not many tackles that can block him one-on-one, either. All that goes back to just eye placement and the fundamentals.
“As the game slows down, he’ll continue to get better with all of that stuff, but I thought he was really good last year.”
’s been really good so far this year, too. He should continue to see more and more time.
5. Broncos perhaps got a bit predictable in the red zone, but Jourdan Lewis also made a heck of a play on Bo Nix’s interception
Nix has grown accustomed to making red zone magic with Courtland Sutton over the past two seasons and he thought more was at hand late in the first half Sunday.
The Broncos trailed 7-3 faced a third-and-goal from the 8-yard line with 2:15 left before halftime.
Nix had trips to his left and wanted Sutton, aligned in the slot, the whole way. Troy Franklin and Jaylen Waddle, lined up outside to Sutton’s left, each ran quick out-breaking routes to try to draw Jacksonville’s defenders up. Sutton ran to the back corner of the end zone for a jump ball from Nix.
Itap a concept the Broncos use regularly and one that has paid off in the past. Perhaps it was a touch too predictable, too.
As Nix got to the line of scrimmage, CBS broadcast analyst Ross Tucker said, “Sutton is the contested catch guy of these receivers. ’s lined up in the slot of the three receivers. Maybe a slot fade to No. 14?”
Jacksonville cornerback Jourdan Lewis thought the same thing.
Lewis was lined up over Waddle, the No. 2 receiver in the formation, and watched as Waddle ran the out-breaker in front of him. Instead of jumping it, though, Lewis reacted by falling back off of his coverage and toward Sutton in the back of the end zone. It put him in perfect position to jump up and pick the pass off. Nix might have still found a touchdown had he put the ball up higher and further toward the back corner, but overall Lewis made a terrific read and a heads-up play.
Jourdan Lewis jump ball INT in the end zone ‼️
JAXvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on— NFL (@NFL)
“It was a zero look, and we were far apart,” Payton said.
Nix after the game lauded Jacksonville defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile as “one of the best up-and-coming DCs in the league. He gives you a lot of different things, gives you a lot of looks and he lets their team play.”
He and Lewis got Nix in the red zone, but Nix struck back for 17 straight points to close the game.
6. Once again, penalties nearly derailed the Broncos
Not all penalties in football are created equal. The Broncos got their money’s worth in the first quarter, and not in a good way.
Denver committed three penalties in the opening 7:50 alone and they all cost the home team in big ways.
The first, an illegal formation infraction on the offense, turned a third-and-6 into third-and-11 and scuttled a drive.
The second, an illegal contact penalty on Riley Moss, wiped away what would have been one of the biggest plays of the game. Nik Bonitto stormed off Trevor Lawrence’s left edge and sacked him, knocking the ball free. Alex Singleton recovered it, setting up Denver in great position. However, Moss grabbed Jakobi Meyers’ jersey and got caught doing it.
The Jaguars ended up punting three plays later, but it was a chance at an early momentum shift.
Then the Broncos looked like they were going to move the ball from their own 12 on the next drive, but a Pat Bryant holding penalty – his third in less than five quarters to start the season – turned a third-and-2 into second-and-18.
The Broncos cleaned up some of the penalty issues as the game went along and the results followed.
Overall, though, Denver is once again looking like one of the most penalized teams in football. Through two games the Broncos have had 17 penalties enforced against them for a total of 105 yards.
7. A timely outing for Denver’s defense in one another way
The Broncos’ defensive rebound was important for many reasons, of course.
One thatap more on the fun end of the spectrum rather than the actually impactful on the field: They put together a terrific performance on coordinator Vance Joseph’s 54th birthday.
Joseph, the beloved leader of one of the NFL’s most disruptive groups over the past two seasons, got a post-game cake and everything.
For his birthday, the Broncos got Joseph an interception, a pair of sacks and a 19.8 second-half passer rating from Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Oh, and a win.
