Gassers, quotable and a look ahead following the Broncos’ 17-13 loss to the Raiders in Week 16.
Gassers
Pat Shurmur
The Broncos offensive coordinator turned in a game plan that was offensive to fans, especially with the team’s slim playoff hopes on the line. Denver finished with 18 yards on the ground, inexcusable for a team with a talented tandem such as Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon. Shurmur’s play-calling remains obvious and boring. And his third-down calls feature far too many routes drawn up short of the sticks.
Broncos pass-catchers
Jerry Jeudy helped set the tone for the Broncos’ first scoring drive with a couple of nice catches, but his drop on third down late in the second half forced Denver to settle for a field goal attempt at a time when the visitors had all the momentum. Then, on Denver’s final drive, Tim Patrick had a ball go through his hands on the sideline and Albert Okwuegbunam dropped a deep pass.
Broncos run game
Ummm… 18 yards? In the third-worst single-game rushing output in team history, the Raiders’ front abused the Broncos’ O-line. Williams and Gordon had little to no holes to run through. Having Austin Schlottmann make his first career start at center in place of Lloyd Cushenberry (COVID) was a factor.
Quotebook
Vic Fangio on second-half struggles against the run: “We needed to play it better, I needed to call it better.”
Fangio on the lack of run game: “We could never seem to get our backs through the first wave of the defensive line, and we had a hard time finding any room.”
Fangio on Denver’s offense: “You get 158 yards of offense, and eight first downs, it’s hard to say anything good about the offense.”
Bradley Chubb on the defense’s play in the second half: “When they came out of the half, they were running the ball on us, and we didn’t hold up our end of the bargain to keep the momentum on our side.”
Up Next
Sunday at Chargers, 2:25 p.m.
Record: 8-7
Week 16 result: Lost 41-29 at Houston
Coach: Brandon Staley (1st year)
About the Chargers: The Chargers collapsed in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Texans on Sunday. That included Justin Herbert throwing a pick-six. The Chargers are clinging to dwindling playoff hopes as they meet Denver in Week 17 at Sofi Stadium. In the teams’ last meeting, the Broncos upset Los Angeles 28-13 in Week 12 as Denver intercepted two Herbert passes, including a pick-six by Pat Surtain II.
