ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Regular-season football has returned to the Mile High City.

The Broncos (0-1) are set to host the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, and Denver will aim to secure its first win of the 2026 season in the team's home opener.

Fueled by a Week 1 loss, the Broncos enter Week 2 with renewed focus and an unwavering commitment to internal improvement that translates to on-field success.

"Every week is a new challenge," cornerback Pat Surtain II said Thursday. "We all know that as a team, but we just have to focus on getting better day-by-day and homing in on the small details. I think that's what's going to separate us. It's still early in the year. Going into our second game, we know what we need to correct. … Every week's a new challenge. You have to bring the intensity no matter what."

Here are the questions that will determine if the Broncos can secure their first win of the 2026 season:

HOW DO THE BRONCOS RESPOND IN FRONT OF A HOME CROWD?

Following the Broncos' "Monday Night Football" game, several players spoke about how the Week 1 performance did not meet the team's standards. As the team has turned its attention to a Week 2 matchup, identifying areas for improvement has been critical.

"I think [the] biggest thing is learning from our mistakes from what we saw on film," wide receiver Courtland Sutton said Thursday. "There were things that we did well, things that we didn't do well. [It's about] being able to elongate what we did do well, making that last longer throughout the game and minimizing our mistakes. I would say one of the things I've seen from the team over the past few days since the game is an attitude of accountability, an attitude of wanting to get better and improving so that we can maximize these days leading up into Jacksonville."

Sutton, who acknowledged the abundance of talent on the Broncos' roster and the promise in the locker room, still stressed that "it's on us to be able to go out there and do it." Cornerback Riley Moss believes the team is poised to do so, as he characterized the group's DNA as "gritty and tough guys who can weather the storm."

The Broncos have proven their ability to bounce back after tough losses during the last several seasons. And on Sunday, the team could receive an extra boost from playing in front of a home crowd for the first time during the 2026 season.

"There's nothing like home-field advantage, nothing like playing at home," quarterback Bo Nix said Thursday. "I know as an away team what it's like to go and play in a loud environment. It's definitely not easy. There are a lot of variables and things that go into it, a lot of communication tactics. It's just not easy, and that's what the crowd does. The crowd makes it not easy for them. So hopefully we'll have, like we always do, a sellout, hopefully we'll have a loud environment, and I expect it to be a really fun time being the home opener. I expect it to be loud. Essentially what it is, it's a playoff game. So I expect it to be that kind of environment sort of like we had at the end of the season last year."

Nix said the atmosphere at Empower Field at Mile High could provide "a big spark" on Sunday, and Head Coach Sean Payton shared a similar message.

"It's significant to defend your home field," Payton said Friday. "And the fans absolutely make a difference. All these problems, let's say, from a week ago for us with crowd noise, get-off, cadence, what you do with motions, they all become much more challenging when you're off a silent snap count. So, when you're at home, obviously the defense has to work through the communication, but it's a significant advantage. And our crowd last year, we feed off that."

CAN DENVER LIMIT JACKSONVILLE'S EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE?

With a 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday, Jacksonville secured the largest margin of victory during Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. A season ago, the Jaguars established themselves as a high-scoring unit, averaging 27.9 points per game, which was the sixth-most in the NFL. The team also boasts the third-best point differential since the start of 2025, trailing just the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, who both appeared in last year's Super Bowl.

And while each season presents different challenges and opportunities, Jacksonville's Week 1 performance indicated the team may be poised to carry last year's momentum into 2026.

Against the Browns, quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 18-of-23 passes for 245 yards, four touchdowns — each to a different pass catcher — and a 150.6 passer rating.

"They're doing a great job," Payton said of Lawrence and the Jaguars' offense. "He's got a big arm. All the things that we saw when he came out as a high draft pick. These big quarterbacks that can move — and he's one of them — to the right, to the left. If you get caught in a man defense and you're not rushing properly, he can pick up eight yards on a third-and-4 easily. And then just the surrounding cast. You can tell they've been together. They're confident in what they're doing."

The Broncos must find a way to slow down Lawrence and Co., and it could start with limiting explosive plays. Lawrence posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating on throws of at least 10 air yards last week, while, conversely, the Broncos were the only team in the league to not allow a completion of 10 or more air yards. If the Broncos can limit downfield opportunities and keep Lawrence contained, it could prove critical in helping the team earn a win on Sunday.

"I just think that they're on the hot streak right now," Surtain said. "They have some great weapons offensively as well, and Trevor looks like he's dialed in offensively with that offense. You could tell that their camaraderie together looks real good right now. So, we just have to eliminate the explosive plays, and just get back to the fundamentals defensively and that's just playing together and doing your 1/11th."

CAN DENVER'S OFFENSE FIND A RHYTHM?

After falling short in Week 1, Nix spoke about the importance of capitalizing on more opportunities when the Broncos take the field again on Sunday. During Denver's Week 1 loss, the game was tied 7-7 for over 16 minutes as the Broncos and Chiefs exchanged punts. Despite the game being what Nix described as "reachable," Denver was unable to put points on the board.

Nix pointed to penalties, negative plays and the inability to convert on third down as some of the obstacles the team encountered when aiming to sustain drives and build momentum, and on Sunday, the Broncos will aim to flip the script and execute at a higher level.

"There was plenty of opportunities to kind of break through that wall," Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb said Friday. "And we just didn't get that done. We're looking forward to this week, hopefully taking better advantage of opportunities."

The Broncos are set to face a challenging Jacksonville defense that allowed the fewest rushing yards per game in 2025 and recorded 31 takeaways a season ago. In Week 1 against the Browns, the Jaguars' defense forced a fumble and recorded an interception, and both turnovers ultimately led to Jacksonville touchdowns.

Denver's offense, however, will look to be up for the challenge as the unit aims to utilize its playmakers. Running back J.K. Dobbins will be part of Denver's offensive attack after missing last year's matchup against the Jaguars, and Payton said Friday that the Broncos could look to be more deliberate with their plan to get the ball to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

"We just have to be more deliberate, maybe — and yet, without forcing it," Payton said of Waddle, "but he's going to have his touches."

If the Broncos are able to avoid self-inflicted setbacks, make in-game adjustments and employ a balanced attack, they could find success against a stout Jacksonville defense.

"I think each week you're looking for that," Payton said of offensive balance. "There's some games that flow a certain direction, but I think that's important."