Sure, the reasons for Denver’s offensive downturn are plenty.
Jay Cutler’s dinged-up finger. Injuries to the team’s top tight end, third-down receiver and rookie sensation. Game plans that moved away from the vertical passing game.
Just don’t call them excuses, Cutler said.
Denver’s third-year quarterback was terse in his postgame comments after Monday’s 41-7 loss at New England, but that was his general message.
Turnovers, not injuries, not X’s and O’s, are to blame for a sluggish offense.
“Everyone knows that,” Cutler said.
Denver’s seven points against the Patriots — which came on a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Cutler to tight end Daniel Graham — were a season low.
After scoring more than 34 points in each of the first three games, all wins, the Broncos (4-3) haven’t scored more than 19 points in any of their past four games.
Cutler has thrown five of his seven interceptions in the losses, as well as losing two of his three fumbles. He threw two interceptions Monday.
“It seems to be happening a lot,” Cutler said. “It’s a mental thing. It’s a physical thing. It’s a lot of things. Sometimes it’s bad luck.”
Certainly injuries have been a factor in the offensive decline, both to Denver’s receivers and to Cutler. Without top receiving tight end Tony Scheffler, who has missed the past two games with a groin injury, the Broncos lose what usually was a major mismatch. Without slot receiver Brandon Stokley, out for most of the Jacksonville game and all of Monday’s loss with a concussion, Denver lost its go-to third-down playmaker. Without Eddie Royal, who missed the Jacksonville game, it was easier for opposing defenses to clamp down on Brandon Marshall.
Cutler banged his throwing hand on a Patriots lineman’s helmet on the opening play of the game Monday and played through pain the rest of the game.
Coach Mike Shanahan said X-rays taken during halftime showed no breaks, so Cutler returned to play the second half. But the injury appeared to take some velocity off his passes and at times he missed receivers short, as was the case when New England’s Brandon Meriweather intercepted a deep pass intended for Darrell Jackson.
Whatever the cause, Cutler has regressed from the NFL’s hot young prodigy to just another quarterback.
His quarterback rating — as high as 137.5 after the season opener against Oakland — has dipped to 91.7, No. 13 in the NFL. Cutler’s rival, Philip Rivers in San Diego, happens to be No. 1, and in between are guys like Arizona’s Kurt Warner (No. 3), Miami’s Chad Pennington (No. 9) and Washington’s Jason Campbell (No. 10).
Cutler still stands second in passing yards behind only Drew Brees and ranks No. 3 in both touchdown passes (13) and interceptions (seven).
Cutler’s teammates maintain nothing has changed for their quarterback, and after Monday’s game, several praised the way he played through the injury.
“He sucked it up and played with it,” said running back Michael Pittman, who remained in the game despite sustaining a rib injury. “He didn’t quit, he went out there and I thought he still looked good. He acted the same way in the huddle and did the best he could.”
Said Marshall, “He made a decision to come back in the game, and I think he did a great job of throwing the ball deep and short.”
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
