The Lead
In case you missed the big news on Wednesday, the Broncos will be heading overseas in October to play the Jaguars for Denver's first international game since 2010, and it may just be the best of bunch.
Over on USA TODAY’s “For The Win” site, Charles Curtis ranked it as the best London matchup of the 2022 International Series.
"The last time the Jaguars played overseas, they ended a 20-game losing streak," Curtis wrote. "Couple that Trevor Lawrence magic with Russell Wilson and this is the one I'll be marking on my calendar from London[.]"
That quarterback matchup is definitely an intriguing one, pitting the Broncos' new star against the 2021 first-overall pick. Of course, the two teams faced off last year, too, with ninth-overall pick Pat Surtain II making his first career interception as Denver topped Jacksonville.
In a conversation breaking down the storylines of the international games on their “Move The Sticks” podcast, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks discussed the appeal of the matchup. For Brooks, the primary interest was how a young team like the Jaguars with a new head coach would improve after its struggles a year ago. But Jeremiah went with the clear star attraction that the Broncos now have with Wilson.
"I'm going to take the low-hanging fruit," Jeremiah said. "Just with Russell Wilson, what does that look like? You saw him on 'Good Morning Football' — we saw a little bit of that [Wednesday] morning — talking about all the different weapons that they have, with Tim Patrick [and] Courtland Sutton kind of giving them the big power forward-type guys; Jerry Jeudy, who can create the separation; and then KJ Hamler, who can take the top off the defense. You kind of look at that — that's an impressive group of wideouts that he's throwing the ball to. So, I expect we'll see a high-flying Denver Broncos offense and we'll see what that Jacksonville Jaguars front seven looks like with some key new additions, including the number one overall pick in Travon Walker."
Regardless, as Brooks noted at the start of their conversation, the international aspect gives this game (and the others) a marquee flavor because of the location.
"There's certainly an appetite all over the globe," Brooks said. "When you have a chance to go over there, just the energy that you feel from the people in an international game is different from even a game that you see in your home state because this is a rare opportunity for these people to see pro football in their continent in their home location. So they're really excited about it, and it's not just fans of the two respective teams. It's everybody. These games bring everybody out. So it's a fun, festive atmosphere, and the NFL has done a really good job of making it a big event."
Below the Fold
Recently, former Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker and his wife Jessie were featured on "20 Questions with Kendra Scott" and fielded questions as a couple, kind of like "The Newlywed Game." Eric and Jessie asked each other 10 questions apiece to see just how well they know each other.
And when Eric asked Jessie who his favorite teammate ever was, she correctly said his answer would be Demaryius Thomas.
"That was my favorite teammate," Eric said. "He was — still is. I think it's because the time of where we are at in our lives, being injured, going into the draft and it really being one of the biggest moments in our life, sharing that together and going to the same team, living together and sharing some really special moments on the field. … Not only favorite teammate, but one of my really, really close friends that I've had."
