ESPN analyst reveals Broncos' biggest mistake amid Week 16 Jaguars loss

The Denver Broncos lost 34-20 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, and now pose the risk of not only losing the AFC's number 1 seed, but even the AFC West.

It was a brutal loss for the Broncos, and it could wind up being a very costly one down the stretch. They control their own destiny, but they no longer have any wiggle room.

For ESPN's Jeff Legwold, the Broncos made one critical error in this game, which contributed to the loss. And it revolves around RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin.

Broncos' biggest mistake vs. Jaguars was lack of run game

"The Broncos found some early cracks in Jacksonville's run defense but didn't keep at it." Legwold writes.

That lack of running game was a big mistake, as McLaughlin and Harvey both were producing on the ground enough to justify getting more touches.

But McLaughlin, after his 16 and 9-yard carries to open the game, got the ball just three more times the rest of the game.

Harvey, who broke free for a 38-yard touchdown run, only had six rushing attempts through three quarters of play.

Overall, the Broncos ran the ball just 17 times, and that was despite the ground game netting 5.9 yards per carry.

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McLaughlin finished with 37 yards on five attempts, while Harvey had 50 yards on seven attempts. While averaging over 7-yards per carry won't happen all of the time, especially with increased workload, it highlights the mistake Sean Payton made.

If the Broncos had run the ball more often early in this game, then they might have limited the possessions for the Jaguars' offense and also found more offensive success.

Heading into the final two weeks, with games against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos will need to work the ground game more.

Denver cannot fall into a pass-heavy offense. That's not ideal for Denver. Harvey and McLaughlin are good running backs, and even Tyler Badie could get some work to close out the year.

The Broncos need to run the ball more, and it was the biggest issue with Payton's playcalling against the Jaguars in Week 16. It's a simple issue to resolve; all the Broncos need to do is run the ball more often, and they could get back on track.

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