Initial thoughts from Broncos’ 35-33 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 2 at Empower Field:
1.Vance, this ain’t it. One former Buff called a whale of a game Sunday at Empower Field. Unfortunately, that CU dude in question wasn’t the one in the employ of the Broncos. So what exactly are we doing here, Vance Joseph? While Eric Bieniemy was screening the Broncos to death the way the CSU Rams chucked crossing route after crossing route at the Buffs late Saturday night, Joseph’s defense looked a step late and several salary-cap dollars short. Gifted a 21-3 lead some 21 minutes into Week 2, the Broncos proceeded to get outscored 32-12. The Commanders averaged 4.6 points over their final seven non-kneeldown drives, in a league where the average points surrendered was 1.72 per series. Over the first two games of an 0-2 start, the Broncos have surrendered 2.89 points per drive, which sounds to us like a pretty good way to go 6-11 or 7-10. And a good reason to start the search for a new defensive coordinator.
2. Marvin Mims Jr., where’d you go? Mims’ first-half targets: two, for two catches and 113 yards. Mims’ second-half targets with 3:40 left in the game: zero for … zero. And zero. By our math, and we’re not exactly experts here, that’s 56.5 yards per target. If we count two runs for 10 yards and a punt return for 45 more, hang on, hang on that’s … five touches for 168 total yards, or 33.6 yards per tote. Now given an offense that has your own fans already counting the play clock down (again) and screaming for the huddle to break while you’re trailing by 11 at home, wouldn’t you want the rock in the hands of arguably your best young home-run hitter right now, Sean Payton? Asking for 70,000 friends here.
3. Bad, bad timing, Kareem. On several fronts. Never mind the head shots. (Bad.) Or the fact a suspension could be coming. (Also bad.) If the Broncos secondary is without veteran Kareem Jackson for a game or more after his head shot in the end zone to Washington tight end Logan Thomas, the timing could be less than ideal. Next up: a visit to old friends Bradley Chubb, Mike McDaniel, Vic Fangio and the Dolphins, who opened league pay by throwing for 466 yards at the Chargers in Week 1. Are Delarrin Turner-Yell, who was dinged up in the fourth quarter, and JL Skinner ready for a whole lotta Tyreek Hill (255 receiving yards vs. Chargers) and Jaylen Waddle (78 yards)? We’re about to find out.
4. Sacks are back! Because things good — and bad — come in bunches, the Broncos got their sack mojo back Sunday for the first time in what feels like forever. After zero takedowns against the Raiders in Week 1, the Orange and Blue exploded for four over the first three quarters of the tilt against the Commanders, with third-year edge rusher Jonathon Cooper notching a pair of those all by himself. It was the franchise’s first game with four sacks or more since a Week 13 loss at Baltimore last December. Denver had been out-sacked 14-1 in its previous four regular-season games dating back to the Christmas Day Massacre in Los Angeles.
