Broncos vs Jaguars in London: Denver looks to get anything going offensively

Maybe a new country can get the Broncos offense going. At the very least, Denver gets to see London.

New week, same problems.

And this week, a different country.

For the first time since 2010, the Denver Broncos will play in London. This time against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.

At 2-5 and the NFL trade deadline fast approaching, what happens on Sunday could dictate what George Paton sells. And who could be out of a job in Denver.

DraftKings Sportsbook has the Broncos as a +2.5-point underdog. That line jumped from +3.5 and is not nearly as appealing. The total sits at 39. For what it’s worth, the under is 6-1 in Denver games this season. Since the Broncos offense sucks something fierce and their defense is really good, the under might be a good play this Sunday.

Offensive Rankings

Denver: Twenty-third in overall offense (328.6 yards per game), 19th in rushing (109.4), 20th in passing (219.1), 32nd in scoring offense (14.3 points per game).

Jacksonville: Seventh in overall offense (343.0 yards per game), ninth in rushing (137.4), 15th in passing (233.9), tied for 16th in scoring offense (22.1 points per game).

Defensive Rankings

Denver: Second in overall defense (286.0 yards per game), 15th in rushing defense (112.9), second in passing defense (173.1), third in scoring defense (16.4 points per game).

Jacksonville: Seventeenth in overall defense (348.4 yards per game), 13th in rushing defense (110.3), 20th in passing defense (238.1), tied for 10th in scoring defense (19.6 points per game).

Here are the MHR staff’s keys to Sunday’s game.

Defense and special teams to score TDs

As long as Nathaniel Hackett is calling the plays and manning the ship, the Broncos offense won’t score touchdowns. It doesn’t even matter who the quarterback is. That means Denver’s defense and/or special teams have to pick up the slack if the Broncos want any shot. — Ian St. Clair

Hackett needs to adjust

The play designs are not terrible, but the play calling is. The fact that the first half is where a majority of the Broncos offensive production comes from is telling and Hackett needs to figure out what he is doing right in those first half drives and DO THAT in the second half, too. I don’t know if I can take another 16-9 game from this team right now. — Tim Lynch

Let Klint Kubiak call the offensive plays

Hackett is the biggest factor in this team losing. He’s blind to himself being the problem which just compounds the issue. The best thing he can do is focus on honing his head coaching duties and stop trying to call plays for the offense since nothing he does makes any sense nor gives any positive results. — sadarine

Enjoy London and every moment, Nathaniel

At this point, if the Broncos come out and score TDs on every drive, Hackett will probably not be fired until the season ends. Otherwise, he should expect this to be his last week as an NFL head coach. Enjoy the experience, because as with everything else in professional football, it’s not for long. — John Holmes

Send the Jags to the wrong stadium

Mess with their GPS. Slash the tires of their double-decker bus. Maybe have someone figure out where they are staying and go pull the fire alarm in the middle of the night so they can’t sleep. Subterfuge at its finest. — Adam Malnati

Establish a running game

In the three games without Javonte Williams, Denver is averaging just 82 rushing yards per game from their running backs. With Mike Boone now on IR and the offensive line in shambles, it won’t be easy, but it’s tough for any offense to have success with those numbers, let alone this one. — Chad Workman

Flip the runs to the other side of the field

This isn’t just a joke about driving on the other side of the road, it’s a legit suggestion that maybe if Hackett turns his playbook upside down or something it might work better. Try something different. Call plays that suit your personnel — Rypien throwing 40-plus times is not a solid strategy. Adapt, Nate. adapt. — Mike DeCicco

What are your keys to Sunday’s game?