Trevor Lawrence did not make it through the Denver Broncos’ season opener Monday night.
He did, however, go back for the important parts.
The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback watched the first half of Denver’s 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at teammate Ross Matiscik’s 30th birthday gathering. After heading home, Lawrence started rewinding. His focus ahead of Sunday’s trip to Denver: the pressure looks that made Patrick Mahomes get rid of the football early.
“You see different things — like seeing how the Chiefs’ offense was playing and Pat throwing hot — so you rewind it and start looking at what made him throw hot,” Lawrence told reporters Wednesday.
That is the part of Denver’s defense Jacksonville cannot ignore.
Trevor Lawrence Went Back to Study Broncos’ Pressure Looks
Lawrence joked that he was not going to commandeer the television during Matiscik’s birthday party to dissect every Broncos blitz.
At home, the quarterback came back to them.
The exercise makes sense. Denver led the NFL in sacks for a second consecutive season in 2025, setting a franchise record with 68. The Broncos also allowed an NFL-low 4.46 yards per play under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Lawrence knows that rush firsthand.
The Jaguars beat Denver 34-20 at Empower Field at Mile High last December, with Lawrence throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns and running for another score. Denver still sacked him five times.
Jacksonville scored on six of seven possessions during one stretch anyway.
That combination helps explain Lawrence’s approach to the rematch. The Jaguars have evidence that they can move the ball against Joseph’s defense. They also have five reminders of what happens when Denver’s rush gets home.
“We’ve got a really good defense in Denver,” Lawrence said. “They led the league in sacks last year, their pass rush is physical, and their defense is really good, so we’re going to have to be ready to go Sunday.”
Jaguars QB Dismisses Last Year’s Result Against Broncos
Lawrence was considerably less interested in another piece of evidence: Jacksonville’s win.
Asked how much value he places on last December’s performance, Lawrence said the film matters more than the outcome.
“I don’t really put too much stock in it — it’s two totally different teams,” Lawrence said. “Even if a lot of the players are the same, every year is so different.”
That is especially relevant after opposite Week 1 results.
Jacksonville opened its season with a 34-10 win over Cleveland. Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Denver is 0-1 after Kansas City beat the Broncos 31-10 on Monday night.
The teams meet Sunday, September 20, at Empower Field at Mile High.
Lawrence already knows what beating Denver there looks like.
What occupied his rewind button this week was everything the Broncos can do to prevent it from happening again.
Broncos Get Clear Message From Trevor Lawrence Before Jaguars Rematch