Down eight points with five minutes remaining Sunday against Green Bay, the Broncos put themselves in position for a comeback. The Packers faced third-and-20 from their 15-yard line. A stop and the Broncos would likely start with solid field position.
But shoddy pursuit and a missed tackle by defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker allowed Packers running back Aaron Jones to turn a pass caught behind the line of scrimmage into a 10-yard gain. Sure, it was a “stop”, but not really.
On the next play, punt returner Diontae Spencer caught J.K. Scottap punt at the 2-yard line and, combined with a penalty on Diontae Harris, put the Broncos at their 3-yard line after the return. Five plays later, quarterback threw an interception.
Creating momentum but not sustaining it has been the Broncos’ way during their 0-3 start. Here is a position-by-position rating from their 27-16 loss to the Packers (scale of 1-5):
Quarterbacks (1)
Hey, at least Joe Flacco continues to compile a solid completion percentage (20 of 29, 69.8%). Everything else? Cause for concern. The Packers were content to play coverage, rushing five or more players on only five of Flacco’s 34 drop-backs. He was 4-of-5 passing for 61 yards against extra rushers. We booked Flacco for two of the Packers’ six sacks — 4.26 and 4.38 seconds. He missed a throw to open receiver 22 yards down the left sideline (out of bounds) and his third-and-17 dump-off pass to running back late in the game was low (incompletion).
Running backs (4)
For only the second time in six years, the Broncos had at least 38 rushing attempts and lost the game. Both Lindsay (21 rushes for 81 yards, two touchdowns) and (15-63) deserve hat-tips for their production. Lindsay’s longest carry was nine yards, but he showed his 2018 form in terms of being elusive and running between the guards for tough yards. Freeman had multiple carries lined up as the fullback, a new look by play-caller Rich Scangarello. Lindsay’s 36-yard reception (caught behind the line of scrimmage) was helped by a downfield block from Sutton.
Tight ends (1)
Rookie Noah Fant continues to show flashes, both good and bad. The good were three catches (on three targets) for 37 yards. If opposing defenses are giving safety help to account for Sutton and , shouldn’t Fant be targeted more often? Yes, but he has to hold on to the football. His fumble in the third quarter led to a Green Bay touchdown (and a 24-10 lead). We booked Fant for one “bad” run play (1/2 on two plays). had two 10-yard catches and a 1/2 “bad” run.
Receivers (2)
Of Sutton’s 87 receiving yards, 52 came on one play (21 yards after the catch). He was targeted eight times by Flacco. He worked the middle of the field well for 16 yards (10 YAC) and converted a second-and-9 in the red zone (10 yards). Sutton has a nose for the first-down marker, which makes him a valuable target. Sanders was neutralized (two catches for 10 yards), but nearly had a touchdown in the first quarter. wasn’t targeted in 42 snaps.
Offensive line (3)
The positives: Right tackle Elijiah Wilkinson had a good hook block on outside linebacker Preston Smith, allowing Lindsay to scoot in for a 1-yard touchdown. Left guard Dalton Risner deserves a half-touchdown for helping Lindsay across the goal line on his second touchdown. And the line had no enforced penalties. Now for the other stuff. Wilkinson was booked for two sacks (2.38 and 2.13 seconds, the first resulting in a turnover) and left tackle Garett Bolles was booked for 1 1/2 (2.81 and a split with Risner in 2.98 seconds). And the Broncos had six “bad” rushes (gain of one or fewer yards not including short-yardage), including 3 1/2 by the line — Wilkinson 1 1/2 and one apiece by Bolles and center .
Defensive line (2)
’s ankle injury shelved him after 11 snaps, which meant more playing time for (44) and DeMarcus Walker (23). The Packers averaged only 3.3 yards per carry (long of 12), but the only “stuff” by the line was by Harris. Gotsis and Harris had quarterback pressures. Walker had one of the Broncos’ two missed tackles. On Jamaal Williams’ 7-yard touchdown late in the first half, the line was pushed backward and Williams appeared surprised he emerged so cleanly.
Linebackers (3 1/2)
A sack would have capped a terrific all-around game for . He was dominant in the run game, posting two run “stuffs” and one tackle for loss on a Packers catch. Chubb played 56 of 57 snaps and was generally relentless in his effort. (53 snaps) had his first quarterback disruption of the year (a pressure of Rodgers). If the Broncos had a plan to manage ’ work, they scraped it. He played 56 snaps. He allowed a 10-yard completion to Aaron Jones on third-and-5 in the fourth quarter. Josey Jewell (42 snaps) departed early in the fourth with a hamstring injury. He was on the hook for a 27-yard catch by fullback Danny Vitale.
Defensive backs (2)
The Broncos’ best cover man was De’Vante Bausby, who played no snaps in the first two games. Rodgers was 1-of-4 passing for 10 yards against Bausby, who had two pass break-ups. He should start against Jacksonville if Bryce Callahan (foot) remains out. was targeted in man coverage twice for catches of 22 and 17 yards. The second play was created when Harris slipped on the wet turf. Safety Kareem Jackson was alone in coverage on Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s 40-yard touchdown when cornerback Isaac Yiadom blitzed, leaving safety to account for his man.
Special teams (3)
Diontae Spencer’s 60-yard kick return featured two missed tackles, a double-team block and a thundering block by Malik Reed on kicker Mason Crosby. The Broncos went three-and-out after the return. Spencer’s only mistake was catching a second-half punt inside the 5-yard line. Colby Wadman averaged 42.7 yards net on three attempts (long of 59, helped by a 15-yard roll). made a 30-yard field goal, but then missed only his third career point-after attempt (out of 175 tries).
