Poor kick coverage by the Broncos helped set up three scores in a 24-17 Jaguars victory.
Broncos QB Kyle Orton passed for 295 yards and had five completions of more than 25 yards, but threw an interception to end the final drive.
The Broncos run defense didn’t show enough improvement from last season.
Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post felt that the Broncos use of QB Tim Tebow, who ran three times for two yards, robbed the offense of momentum.
The reformatted Broncos offensive line was shaky, allowing three sacks and 11 quarterback hurries on Sunday.
Three touchdown passes by QB David Garrard led the Jaguars to their first season-opening win since 2006.
Jaguars DE Aaron Kampman had 1.5 sacks and rookie DT Tyson Alualu had one as well in a strong performance by one of the league’s worst pass rushing teams in 2009.
Said Kampman of the Jaguars defense, “We’ve talked a lot about the word relentless. That is kind of what we want to have the identity of. If we can get that as our identity, we will be sitting pretty good.”
The Jaguars felt that the hot, humid weather in Jacksonville helped them hold off the Broncos.
Jaguars CB Derek Cox found himself on the bench after making several mistakes in coverage.
