Dammit... just short.
That phrase has defined the Denver Broncos 2020 season. They have the potential and they can show flashes of brilliance. But it's never enough. After last week's incredible 31-30 comeback over the Los Angeles Chargers, it appeared as if the Broncos offense was starting to click. Drew Lock looked comfortable in the pocket, he looked poised, he was making beautiful throws, and ultimately won the game. The excitement and hype around the team was electric. So there was reason to be optimistic going to play a Falcons team that has struggled for most this season. And they came out... flat.
Everyone looked out of sync. The offense made plays and drove the ball down the field. But ultimately, the efforts were fruitless due to both missed plays and bad play calling. The defense felt the weight of injuries today. Not having AJ Bouye was going to be enough of a challenge for Denver to scheme around. But then losing Bryce Callahan, the team's best corner, the morning of the game? Now you're having a bunch of young, inexperienced corners go up against Matt Ryan, a former MVP and a good QB, and Julio Jones, arguably the best receiver in the game. And the Falcons lit up that battered secondary all day. The Broncos also missed Shelby Harris and Mike Purcell on the line. This defense was playing with one arm tied behind their back and it showed. The team fell behind 20-6 at halftime.
There was some slight confidence that the Broncos could pull off another immaculate comeback. But down 27-6 going into the 4th, things looked bleak. But then, it happened again. The offense found form again, Drew Lock was slinging the ball, and touchdowns were scored! Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler showed exactly why the Broncos drafted them. They made plays and helped out their quarterback. Jerry Jeudy had his first 100+ yard game as a pro. He caught a crucial touchdown in the 4th quarter to pull it close. Drew Lock had a much needed 10 yard touchdown run to bring it close. While he did throw an interception, he bounced back with a touchdown drive. But ultimately, the Broncos fell short again. So what now?
The Broncos clearly have the potential and talent on offense to score a lot of points and win a lot of games. But right now something isn't clicking. Ultimately it starts with Pat Shurmur and Drew Lock. The system Shurmur is attempting to force this offense into is not working. NOT WORKING. It's clear that in this game, and last week, when Drew Lock runs the offense, it's more efficient and they have a lot of upside. The Broncos have Drew Lock in handcuffs and they need to take them off from the get go. The Broncos have the pieces but the man who's running the scheme is not playing to their strengths. The Broncos have the keys to success and the players to do it. Now they need Pat Shurmur to let Drew be Drew. Let him gunsling and let him run the offense. Now, Drew has his faults. He did throw a bad interception that resulted in Atlanta having an easy TD. He missed throws and plays that could've made a huge difference. Now to be fair, the offensive line had a bad day against Atlanta's pass rush. The run game was all but abandoned entirely because they couldn't get a push. They need Graham Glasgow back. Austin Schlottmann could only do so much. Demar Dotson left the game with a groin injury and it was all downhill from there. Jake Rodgers was thrown into the fire and the protection broke down on many occasions. The only solid blocking came from Risner and Bolles on the left side. Cushenberry made some rookie mistakes, but did fine. Drew Lock was under a lot of duress and was forced to scramble a lot more than they would've liked. So that didn't help any. I will have a more in depth look at this offense later in the week. Because this is a topic worth a discussion all it's own.
The defense had a rough day without Bryce Callahan and AJ Bouye. Matt Ryan took full advantage of a young secondary and it paid dividends for the Falcons. They put up a lot of points and yards on a young and inexperienced secondary. So that's that.
The biggest issue in this game was coaching. Vic Fangio and his coaching staff didn't have the team ready out of the gate and a lot of poor decisions were made. Instead of electing to let Brandon McManus, who's been as reliable a kicker as you could ask for, kick a field goal to tie the game early, he took a timeout only to punt the ball... why? If you're going to punt anyway, just let the clock run down. They made adjustments way too late. Pat Shurmur is the punching bag of the Broncos fans for the next week and he keeps giving them ammunition. One very bad call was running a zone right with Melvin Gordon... on 2nd and 10... with :37 seconds to go before halftime... with one timeout. Ouch. This coaching staff gets the brunt of the blame for this game. The strategy was, to put it kindly, flawed. They need to adjust and quickly. There is potential and talent abound. Do not waste it.
Simply put, this is frustrating. There is a chance for this team to be special. And I think they can be in the future. But they need to find the spark to light the fire. The cupboard is not barren. As much as Broncos fans hate this, patience is vital. Nothing is overnight, especially in the NFL. Good will come in time, no matter how frustrating it is right now.
Comments