It’s a question that surely had plenty of people perplexed in the wake of Denver’s 30-23 loss to Buffalo on Sunday.
How does a team that racks up 532 yards of offense score only 23 points?
The answer is poor performance in the red zone, yet it’s hardly a new problem for the Broncos, who scored only two touchdowns in six trips inside the Bills’ 20-yard line Sunday.
“It is always disappointing when you move the ball like that and don’t score touchdowns,” coach Mike Shanahan said.
Quarterback Jay Cutler scored on 2- and 6-yard touchdown runs, but the other drives ended in two first-half field goals, an interception by Cutler at the 1-yard line and an incomplete pass to Brandon Stokley in the back of the end zone.
Touchdowns, instead of those early field goals, would have completely changed the game, Stokley said.
“We could have had 21 points very easily,” he said.
Denver’s offense ranks first in the AFC averaging 395.1 yards per game, but is only seventh in the conference in scoring with 23.3 points per game. The team has scored 30 touchdowns in 53 red-zone trips this season — 57 percent. The Broncos are 20-for-33 (61 percent) in their eight wins and 10-of-20 (50 percent) in their seven losses.
The good news is that one of the team’s best red-zone days was in Week 2 against San Diego, when they converted 5-of-6 times.
Expecting a fight.
Each of the Broncos’ last two season finales have gone to overtime, with Denver beating Minnesota last year but losing to San Francisco in 2006.
And Denver’s first game against the Chargers on Sept. 14 came down to the final seconds, when the Broncos scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion to win 39-38.
It’s only fitting, then, if Sunday’s game at Qualcomm Stadium be equally dramatic.
“We knew they were a good team and it would come down to the end somehow,” Stokley said.
Defense staying confident.
Despite allowing 30 points to the Bills, the Broncos’ defense is trying to remain confident going into Sunday’s game against the Chargers, whose offense is averaging almost 340 yards per game.
“I’m just glad we got it out and still have an opportunity,” linebacker Jamie Winborn said. “We’re as good as we want to be, and I’m pretty sure people know that.”
Footnotes.
The team officially signed running backs Cory Boyd and Alex Haynes to the active roster Tuesday to replace Selvin Young and P.J. Pope, who were placed on injured reserve.
Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post
