Broncos and Jaguars clash in marquee Week 16 matchup with playoff implications on the line

Jacksonville (10-4) at Denver (12-2)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, Fox.

BetMGM NFL odds: Broncos by 3.

Against the spread: Jaguars 9-5, Denver 6-7-1.

Series record: Broncos lead 8-7, including 1-1 in the playoffs.

Last meeting: Broncos beat the Jaguars 21-17 on Oct. 30, 2022, in London.

Last week: Jaguars beat the Jets 48-20; Broncos beat the Packers 34-26.

Jaguars offense: overall (16), rush (16), pass (18), scoring (8).

Jaguars defense: overall (10), rush (1), pass (20), scoring (10t).

Broncos offense: overall (11), rush (17), pass (11), scoring (12).

Broncos defense: overall (5), rush (2), pass (11), scoring (3t).

Turnover differential: Jaguars plus-10; Broncos minus-2.

LT Cole Van Lanen. He makes his third consecutive start in place of Walker Little and has the daunting task of slowing the league’s fiercest pass rush. The Broncos lead the NFL with 58 sacks. Van Lanen has been a catalyst for Jacksonville’s improved O-line play, making starts at four positions in the last seven games.

S P.J. Locke. He gets his first start in place of the injured Brandon Jones, whom the Broncos placed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury. Jones will miss at least four weeks. Locke has been a spot starter in the past and coach Sean Payton noted that depth in the secondary is a team strength.

Denver's vaunted pass rush against Trevor Lawrence's pass protectors. Lawrence might have to do like so many other quarterbacks and get rid of the ball quicker with short passes to fend off the likes of Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Que Robinson, Dondrea Tillman and Jonah Elliss.

Jaguars: Backup RB Bhayshul Tuten (finger) and DE Danny Striggow (ankle) won’t play. ... DE Josh Hines-Allen missed practice Wednesday because of an illness.

Broncos: ILB Justin Strnad (foot) got hurt last weekend and didn't participate in practice on the game plan installation day. ... Rookie RB RJ Harvey (ribs) and rookie WR Pat Bryant (hamstring) were both full participants in practice, as were RT Mike McGlinchey (neck), C Luke Wattenberg (ankle), WR/KR Marvin Mims Jr. (biceps) and ILB Karene Reid (hamstring).

The Broncos have dominated the series of late, winning four of the last five meetings. ... The biggest games in this series came in the playoffs when the upstart Jaguars upset the Broncos 30-27 in the playoffs following the 1996 season. The Broncos credited that stunning defeat with galvanizing them toward a Super Bowl title the following season when they dispatched Jacksonville 42-17 on their way from wresting the Lombardi Trophy from the Green Bay Packers.

Jacksonville has won five in a row and can clinch a playoff spot with a win combined with a loss by either Houston or Indianapolis. … The Jaguars are plus-96 in points against the AFC, the highest in the NFL this season. They are 7-2 against the conference, their best winning percentage since going 10-2 in 1999. … Lawrence has accounted for 10 touchdowns and no turnovers in his last three games. It’s the first three-game stretch of his five-year career without an interception or a fumble. … Travis Etienne is the sixth RB since 2000 with 100 yards from scrimmage and three TD receptions in a single game. He had 162 yards from scrimmage in his last game against Denver. Etienne has scored nine TDs in his last six games. He has scored 31 times in his career and is three shy of passing TE Marcedes Lewis (now with Denver) for fifth place in franchise history. ... The Broncos have won 11 consecutive games for the first time since 2012. Their 11 straight wins is the longest active streak in the NFL. ... Ten of those wins have required comebacks and 10 of their 12 wins overall came by one score. ... Denver has won 12 consecutive home games. With a victory and a little help elsewhere, the Broncos can clinch the AFC West and the AFC's No. 1 overall seed this weekend. The Kansas City Chiefs have won the last nine division titles, but won't make the playoffs this season. ... QB Bo Nix has won 22 games in his first two seasons, tied for the second most by a QB in his first two seasons since 1950. Russell Wilson holds the record with 24 wins. ... With a win Sunday, Payton would join Bill Belichick (seven seasons) as the only head coaches in NFL history with at least 13 wins in five different seasons. ... CBs Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss each recorded their first interceptions of the season last week against the Packers. Surtain is one of five DBs in the league with 10 or more games with a pass breakup. In addition to his interception, Moss broke up three passes last week. His 15 pass breakups are fourth most in the NFL.

Broncos WR Courtland Sutton is coming off a monster game in which he re-established himself as Denver's No. 1 receiver and Nix's favorite target by catching seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) intercepts a pass against New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard (10) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks on during the second half against the New York Jets an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Denver Broncos' Riley Moss celebrates an interception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos' Bo Nix celebrates after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s handpicked board voted Thursday to rename Washington’s leading performing arts center as the Trump Kennedy Center, the White House said, in a move that made Democrats fume, saying the board had overstepped its legal authority.

Congress named the center after President John F. Kennedy in 1964, after his assassination. Donald A. Ritchie, who served as Senate historian from 2009-2015, said that because Congress had first named the center it would be up to Congress to “amend the law.”

Richie said that while Trump and others can “informally” refer to the center by a different name, they couldn’t do it in a way “that would (legally) stick.”

But the board did not wait for that debate to play out, immediately changing the branding on its website to reflect the new name.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that legislative action was needed, “and we’re going to make that clear.” The New York Democrat is an ex officio member of the board because of his position in Congress.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media, attributing it to the “unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation.”

Trump, a Republican who's chairman of the board, said at the White House that he was “surprised" and “honored” by the vote.

“The board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country and I was surprised by it and I was honored by it,” he said.

Trump had already been referring to the center as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” Asked Dec. 7 as he walked the red carpet for the Kennedy Center Honors program whether he would rename the venue after himself, Trump said such a decision would be up to the board.

Earlier this month, Trump talked about a “big event" happening at the "Trump Kennedy Center” before saying, “excuse me, at the Kennedy Center,” as his audience laughed. He was referring to the FIFA World Cup soccer draw for 2026, in which he participated.

A name change won’t sit well with some Kennedy family members.

Maria Shriver, a niece of John F. Kennedy, referred to the legislation introduced in Congress to rebrand the Kennedy Center as the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts as “insane” in a social media post in July.

“It makes my blood boil. It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded,” she wrote. “Truly, what is this about? It’s always about something. ‘Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center.’ What’s next?”

Trump earlier this year turned the Kennedy-era Rose Garden at the White House into a patio by removing the lawn and laying down paving stones.

Another Kennedy family member, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serves in Trump’s Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump showed scant interest in the Kennedy Center during his first term as president, but since returning to office in January he has replaced board members appointed by Democratic presidents with some of his most ardent supporters, who then elected him as board chairman.

He also has criticized the center’s programming and its physical appearance and has vowed to overhaul both.

Trump secured more than $250 million from the Republican-controlled Congress for renovations of the building.

He attended opening night of the musical “Les Misérables,” and last week he served as host of the Kennedy Center Honors program after not attending the show during his first term as president. The awards program is scheduled to be broadcast by CBS and Paramount+ on Dec. 23.

Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump's takeover of the center, and several touring productions, including “Hamilton,” have canceled planned runs there. Rows upon rows of empty seats have been seen in the Concert Hall during performances by the National Symphony Orchestra.

Some performers, including actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens, have scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming have resigned.

AP writer Hillel Italie contributed to this story from New York.

FILE - A memorial wreath stands next to the bronze memorial bust by Robert Berks of President John F. Kennedy in the grand foyer at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Nov. 22, 2013, on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - The John F. Kennedy Center Memorial Center for the Performance Arts illuminated as part of the "Nordic Cool 2013: Northern Lights" exhibit, in Washington, Feb. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The Kennedy Center is seen Thursday, Dec, 18, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

President Donald Trump finishes his remarks in an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)