The Broncos faced their toughest test on Sunday against the Ravens on Sunday and received an F for their performance. The Broncos were outclassed from top to bottom from the coaches to the players on the field. The Broncos were unable to match the physicality of the Ravens and seemed rattled when things seemed to go wrong such as that long touchdown from Hollywood brown in the second quarter. After that TD the whole mood of the game completely changed. I will provide my take aways from this game: 2 things I am concerned about. 1 positive to help see the silver lining.
Concerns:
Pat Shurmer
I was not a fan of how Shurmer called games last year and I had my reservations about him even this year but it was not worth stating because the Broncos seemed to be rolling on offense averaging more than 350 yards per game and just over 25 points per game. However, Shurmer's offense faced their toughest test on Sunday and they crumbled. I will talk about the players later but the plays called were very suspect. One thing I did not understand was why the Broncos abandoned the run. As soon as they trailed 17-7, the whole second half they played like they were down 24-0 and threw the ball more than they should have. To make matters worse, Teddy Bridgewater was knocked out of the game due to a concussion which forced them to insert Drew Lock, who has not had any first team reps and has exclusively run the scout team since mid august. It would have been wise to ease Lock back in to a game by running the ball. It has always been said that the running game is the quarterback's best friends. Not only that, but the running game was actually very effective as Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams both finished the game with more than 6 yards a carry. At one point Javonte was carrying defenders down the field in the first quarter. Pat Shurmer's lack of situational awareness has been an issue since he has come to Denver. Drew Lock was not good yesterday but it is understandable for a player to not play well in his first action with the team in nearly 2 months. Shurmer should have done more to help him out suchs as calling more screens, adopting the quick passing game, running bootlegs and getting him on the move. He did none of that and basically made Lock drop back 21 times behind a struggling O line facing a ferocious defensive line and expected him to thread the needle every time. The ravens are a very blitz heavy team and Shurmer should have been aware of that and called a game with more short passes and outside runs. It was very disappointing to see.
2. Has The Team Given Up on Lock?
The team looked very lethargic the whole second half which was when Drew stepped into the game. To me, there was no intensity or fire from the whole offense especially from the receivers. They played like a team that was ready to mail it in and head back to the bus after Teddy Bridgewater was ruled out for the game. The chemistry that Lock and Sutton had created in late 2019 seemed to be thrown out the window this game. Now obviously some of that is due to lack of reps and their timing may not be on the same page as the last time they played together was week 2 of 2020 where they both got injured. But on some of the deep throws to Sutton, there was very minimal effort from Sutton to even try drawing a pass interference or creating something to get a positive outcome from the play. It is fair to ask if Lock has lost the pulse of the locker room and if that is not the case it would be time to move on from him. However, the earliest Teddy can be cleared from concussion protocol is either Wednesday or Thursday giving Lock first team reps till then. That most likely means Drew would have the best chance to play week 5 vs the Steelers and give us a chance to see how the team responds. If they bounce back well, Drew still has a future here, but if they repeat last weeks performance, it is time to look at QBs for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Positive:
3. Defense Still Stout
It is easy to say the defense played poorly but the truth is that they held their ground throughout the whole second half just allowing 6 points and 3 of them coming in Baltimore's final drive when the game was out of hand at that point. Their ability to bounce back after blunders was impressive as it never seemed they lost heart or fight after the Hollywood brown TD. In fact, it seemed that the offense sputtered after that play but the defense still held strong. They held one of the best rushing teams to 102 yards on the ground but in doing so allowed Lamar to throw for 316 yards with a TD. However, they still only gave up 23 points which is impressive considering they gave up 17 in the second quarter. The offense certainly did not help as they punted 10 times on the day which led to the Denver defense being on the field way too much. The defense despite being on the field so long, held the Ravens to 7 punts. Overall, I was very impressed with the defense because they displayed tough-mindedness and bounced back quickly from blunders, a mindset the offense certainly did not adopt.
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