The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson gives his scouting report for Sunday’s game between the Broncos (12-2) and Jaguars (10-4) at Empower Field at Mile High.

Offense

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is coming off perhaps the best game of his second season, having thrown for 302 yards and four touchdowns in last Sunday’s 34-26 win over Green Bay. Nix has thrown for 1,130 yards in the past four games. With the Broncos seeking consistency in the running game after J.K. Dobbins went on injured reserve Nov. 15, rookie RJ Harvey has been slowly improving. He has 140 yards rushing in the past two games. Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence is also a hot quarterback. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 330 yards with five touchdowns and also running for a score in last Sunday’s 48-20 win over the New York Jets. A top Lawrence target is Jakobi Meyers, acquired at midseason from Las Vegas. The Jaguars have a solid running game, with Travis Etienne having rushed for 949 yards.

Advantage: Jaguars

Defense

During their 11-game winning streak, the vaunted Broncos’ defense has stepped up when needed, but has had some recent lulls. Denver has allowed 26 points in two of the past three games. After missing three games with a pectoral injury, cornerback Pat Surtain II has played in the past three and returned to all-pro form. He had a key pick against the Packers. Edge rusher Nik Bonitto has a team-high 12.5 sacks but has cooled down after getting 8.0 in the first six games. The Jaguars lead the NFL in rushing defense and are No. 10 in total defense. Linebacker Devin Lloyd has five interceptions for 135 yards, including a 99-yard return for a touchdown. Overall, the Jaguars have 18 picks. Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen has a team-high 7.0 sacks and is seeking his third double-digit output in his seven Jacksonville seasons.

Advantage: Broncos

Coaching

Denver’s Sean Payton has won 12 games in a season for the sixth time in 18 NFL seasons as a head coach. Payton has three games left to try to top his career best of 13 wins, done four times in 16-game seasons. Payton has been talking Super Bowl since training camp. Having won Super Bowl XLIV with New Orleans in the 2009 season, he has a chance to become the first NFL coach to win the big game with two different teams. After the Jaguars went a dismal 4-13 last season and coach Doug Peterson was fired, Liam Coen has turned things around in his first season. Coen got the job on the strength of Tampa Bay being third in the NFL in total offense when he was offensive coordinator in 2024. Coen has the Jaguars on a five-game winning streak in which they’ve averaged 34.2 points

Advantage: Broncos

Intangibles

The Broncos might prefer to greet a Florida team with cold weather, but the temperature at game time Sunday is forecast to be around 60 degrees. Jaguars receiver Tim Patrick will be fired up in his first return to Denver. Patrick was with the Broncos from 2018-23, sitting out his last two seasons due to injuries before being cut. He has 13 catches this season. The Jaguars still have a shot to overtake Denver for the No. 1 AFC playoff seed. The Broncos have won 12 straight home games. They can clinch the AFC West with a win and a loss or a tie by the Los Angeles Chargers (10-4) at Dallas on Sunday or with a tie and a Chargers loss. Jacksonville handed the Broncos one of their toughest defeats ever in a 1996 divisional playoff game. In just their second season, the Jaguars stunned the AFC’s top seed 30-27 at Denver.

Advantage: Jaguars