Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars
The Matchup
Denver Broncos. Jacksonville Jaguars. The matchup doesn’t happen as much as it should but it has possessed outstanding games and football players like Hall of Famers John Elway, Tony Boselli, and Shannon Sharpe. It also features two franchises that have gone to the playoffs a combined 29 times, not too shabby when you take into account that the Jaguars have only been around since 1995.
The History
When these two teams saw each other in Jacksonville in 2021, star Trevor Lawrence was a rookie playing in only his second NFL game while Denver countered with Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater would get the better of the 2019 number one overall pick as Lawrence couldn’t figure out Denver’s defense, which led the visitors to a 23-13 win. Looking back on the history between these teams, two signature games from the nineties stand out.
Jacksonville would travel into Mile High Stadium and pull out a 30-27 victory in the 1997 playoffs that sent them to the AFC Semifinals. That isn’t the game you want to bring up at dinner with Denver fans because the Broncos started with a 12-0 lead that game before the Jaguars would score 20 unanswered points on their way to the win. On the bright side, the following year, the Elway-led Broncos demoralized Jacksonville in the 1998 AFC wild card with a 42-17 victory.
The Odds and Ends
Let’s take a deeper look at the odds and spreads that have come with this exhilarating matchup. While both teams have played each other almost evenly over the last 27 years, the games have come with some wild lines. That aforementioned Jacksonville playoff victory over Denver was amazing for another reason: Denver was -14 1/2 point favorites to win that game! The Broncos didn’t cover that one, did they? On the other hand, that 2021 game in Jacksonville had Denver as a 6 ½ point favorite on the road and they covered, winning by ten. From 2007-2021, the Jaguars covered the spread between these two teams five out of seven times. That being said, the Broncos covered on the road in Jacksonville both times they played there in 2016 and ‘21.
Looking at the totals is where it starts to get interesting. Over three games from 2007-2010, not a single game went over 41 points, however, from 2013-2021, two out of the four games scored at least 50 points. The last ten times they’ve met, the teams have only combined for more than 50 points twice. With that in mind, the teams have rarely scored tons of points in their history as only a small handful of games have gone over 50 points.
Why You Should Watch It
Don’t sleep on this matchup, ever. Not only is it rife in history, the games rarely disappoint. Don’t forget that these teams met each other a few times and Denver fans still have a little bit of animosity towards Jacksonville for ruining their great 1996 season. Not only that, but if you miss this matchup, you could be missing out on the next Elway or Lawrence and you don’t want that to happen, do you? So, grab a brew whenever these two square off because you’re in for a damn good football game.