Jaguars 26, Broncos 24: Questionable roughing the passer call sets Denver up for loss

Early on it seemed like the Denver Broncos were finally going to put together a complete game. Well, they put together half a game. They went in with a 17-6 halftime lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then the second half started.

From there, it was a nightmarish flashback to the 2010 season where teams just ran wild and made every completion. The Jaguars scored 20 unanswered points from the second quarter on and Leonard Fournette racked up over 200 yards rushing, but despite all that, the Broncos still had a chance late to win the game down 23-17.

Joe Flacco was perfect on that final drive to put the Broncos up 24-23 with less than two minutes to go. However, another absurd roughing the passer call set the Jaguars up for the win.

First Quarter

Joe Flacco and the Broncos offense got things going on their second drive, scoring in two plays. A 28-yard run from Phillip Lindsay and then rookie Noah Fant took a screen pass to the house for 25-yards and a touchdown.

The Broncos offense came out to play to start this game, but so did the defense. Von Miller broke the sack drought with his first of the season to keep the Jaguars offense from getting more than three points in that first quarter.

Full first quarter recap.

Second Quarter

The Broncos continued to control the line of scrimmage on offense and added another ten points in the second quarter, but things went awry late when Flacco threw a bad pass that was picked off by the Jaguars defense.

Jacksonville ended up adding a field goal at halftime to cut the Broncos lead to 17-6. On the plus side, the Broncos defense continued to play very well. Von Miller notched his 100th career sack and his second on this game midway through the second quarter and his partner in crime, Bradley Chubb, add a sack of his own in this quarter.

The Broncos defense held Jacksonville to 117 total yards in the first half and forced 0/7 on third downs to go with those three sacks.

Full second quarter recap.

Third Quarter

The third quarter was an unmitigated disaster for the Denver Broncos. The Jaguars put together touchdown drives of 75 yards and 93 yards and completely dominated the time of possession en route to the 20-17 second half lead.

Literally nothing went well for Denver in the third quarter.

Full third quarter recap.

Fourth Quarter

With momentum completely gone, the Broncos dialed up some of their own as Malik Reed notched his first NFL sack and the Broncos defense fifth of the game to give the offense an opportunity to get back into the game early in the fourth quarter.

The offense responded with a 20 yard catch and run from Joe Flacco to DaeSean Hamilton to start their next drive. The drive stalled again from there as another opportunity to win a game slipped away from Denver.

The Jaguars added a field goal late to extend their lead to 23-17. With just over two minutes to go, Flacco would hit Emmanuel Sanders for a first down reception, then right before the two minute warning found Courtland Sutton down the seam for a 26-yard gain to the Jaguars 33-yard line.

Sanders came up big again on that final drive to set the Broncos up at the 8-yard line on a 27-yard catch and run.

Sutton would catch a touchdown pass on the very next play with 1:32 left in the game.

Not that it mattered, the referees ensured a Jacksonville victory on another ticky tack roughing the passer call.

No use crying over spilled milk, but is it time for us all to embrace the tank?