MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Three hours before kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Broncos coach strolled the sidelines with his assistant, Phil Rauscher, shaking the hands of former co-workers and taking in the 77-degree air.
A smile stretched across as his face, as if he could feel a change coming. A needed change for his team. A win.
Not this time.
Despite three defensive takeaways, the Broncos were embarrassed, losing 35-9 as their offense and special teams sputtered from the start with three interceptions and two safeties. The loss was Denver’s eighth consecutive since its Week 5 bye, and sent its season further into a pit of misery before an inevitable off-season overhaul begins.
“I think we’ve just played badly. Itap hard to believe that we started 3-1, right?” quarterback said. “It felt pretty good with where we were at and it has gotten away from us a little bit. I felt like there have been weeks where we’ve been right there and just haven’t gotten it done, haven’t made enough plays.”
Dilly dilly.
Siemian, the team’s third starting quarterback in as many games, completed 20-of-41 passes for 219 yards, zero touchdowns, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), recorded a safety, took three sacks and posted a 33.7 passer rating.
“I can’t speak to his confidence. I can speak to how he played and it wasn’t very good today,” Joseph said of his quarterback. “You can’t have three interceptions and a pick-six and sacks. But it wasn’t all on him. Offensive line-wise we struggled. We had 5 or 6 holding penalties again. We had some dropped balls, guys not separating in coverage. So it wasn’t all on Trevor. It’s the entire unit.”
The Broncos’ first half was a snapshot of their forgettable season, but the full game was a bitter reminder of how far Denver has fallen from its championship two years ago. The Broncos failed to score an offensive touchdown on a day when the defense had two interceptions, one for a pick six, and a forced fumble and recovery. Denver was 1-for-13 on third down and gained 270 net yards, their lowest output of the season.
Worse? Their top receiver, , went catch-less until the final seconds of the third quarter, when he reeled in a 6-yard grab. Their No. 2 receiver, , went catch-less until the final two minutes.
For the better part of the last seven weeks, the Broncos have rotated quarterbacks, fired an offensive coordinator, even tweaked their system hoping for different results. General manager , frustrated as much if not more than the fans watching from afar, urged his players to keep working, keep seeking a bounce-back. Because throughout their slide, the Broncos have failed to respond when a play goes awry, when an interception is thrown, when a game-altering mistake is made early.
The defense did respond Sunday. Often.
Following Denver’s first two possessions – an interception thrown by Siemian on a second down, then a safety after a high snap from its own 5-yard line — the defense forced three-and-outs to put the ball back in the offense’s hands.
In the waning seconds of the first quarter, there was a glimmer of hope that one of those three-and-outs would be put to good use. Siemian found tight end and wideout for a pair of deep completions totaling 59 yards before the end of the first quarter, setting up a field goal at the start of the second quarter. But the momentum was fleeting and the sea of orange sitting above the Broncos’ bench began to clear when former Denver draft pick caught a touchdown over the head of , then rode the football like a Bronco in celebration. The crowd thinned even more when Xavien Howard picked off an off target Siemian throw to the sideline and ran it back 30 yards for a touchdown.
“I think itap taking a big toll, because every week we say the same things, we answer the same questions the same way,” Thomas said. “Every week we do the same thing week in and week out, and we don’t make it no better. I think itap getting frustrating, more frustrating, because we know what we’re doing wrong as a group, especially on our side of the ball. We feel like we’re fixing it throughout the week (and) in practice and stuff and then comes the game it just — (The) last two weeks, something happens in the end zone. We got two safeties today. Last week, we had a pick in the end zone.”
Different day. Different field. Same story for the Broncos.
“Still the same way. I don’t know what’s going on,” cornerback said. “But we can’t afford to keep turning the ball over and not playing great on special teams on the road. We got to play great on defense and special teams on the road, and unfortunately we didn’t bring that altogether.”
The Broncos’ defense kept battling, trying to keep Denver in the game. End Shelby Harris, starting in place of an injured , took down for a sack. Zach Kerr, starting for Domata Peko at nose tackle, had a sack as well. Cornerback Bradley Roby, starting for the suspended , came up with multiple stops in coverage. And Harris notched his second interception of the season when he spun around in coverage, tipped a pass, then regained possession before hitting the ground.
But the takeaway went to waste: The Broncos punted after a pair of incompletions by Siemian.
“Trev threw a pick and then I got a pick,” Harris said. “We tried to do something to get over that, but it just keeps piling up for us and I guess after awhile guys kind of stop believing.
“It’s hard. We start almost every drive on the 50 it seems like. Tons of sudden changes. It’s hard. We have to damn near play perfect to win a game.”
Dilly dilly.
At the end of the half, the Dolphins led 16-3, a sure sign Denver’s day was done. (The Broncos are 0-8 when trailing at halftime.)
When the teams returned from the break, the crowd of orange had nearly vanished, leaving only a lonely few to witness the Dolphins expand their lead. The masses never got to see Roby force a fumble and recover it, only to have it wasted with a three-and-out by the offense.
They never got to see record a 65-yard pick-six for the Broncos only touchdown.
They never got to see the Broncos get penalized for a delay of game on a kickoff, then allow Miami to successfully complete an onside kick with a 33-9 lead.
They never got to see Kenyan Drake run 42 yards for a touchdown, never got to see Siemian throw another interception to Howard, never got to see the Dolphins score a touchdown on the next play.
And they never got to witness Isaiah McKenzie fumble a punt into the end zone for a safety, his sixth fumble of the season. Maybe they were the wise ones. Because the Broncos continue to fall deeper and deeper into their pit of misery.
“We’re losing to teams that are not very good, in my opinion,” Harris said. “That’s what makes it very hard.”
Dilly. Dilly.
