There are times when a team plays badly and wins, anyway. There are other games when a team plays well but they can't catch a break. Then there are days like Sunday when it doesn't matter if the heat index reaches 105 degrees at halftime, lightning suspends play for 33 minutes prior to the fourth quarter, the headsets from the coaches' box to the sidelines go out, or the game is played against a tough opponent in a hostile environment. The Broncos have to figure out how to win, anyway. Once again, the Broncos didn't do that here Sunday on a sometimes oppressive, sometimes stormy afternoon at EverBank Field. They lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-17, in a season-opening game that was disturbingly familiar to how the Broncos finished last season, when they lost eight of their last 10 games, including their final four. "We put so much work into this season so far that whatever happened last year is so far out of our minds," said Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, who played well and was a final-drive interception away from playing great. "But I know one thing, I want to see us respond to adversity, respond to a loss. We didn't do that last year. We'd get a loss and let it linger for three or four weeks." Yes, the Broncos are just 0-1 with 15 more to go. Yes, they can make a case they outplayed the Jags. They can begin that argument by stating the statistics. Even with Broncos rookie and Jacksonville hometown hero Tim Tebow playing no factor in his NFL debut, rushing for 2 yards on two carries in three plays, the Broncos had more first downs (21-18) and more yards (363 to 299) than the Jaguars. Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_16057383
