The Broncos slim playoff hopes took a hit as they fall to their hated divisional rivals for the 4th straight time and sit at 7-8 as the 13th seed in the AFC. They are mathematically still in it but it’s really over and it’s probably for the best the Broncos do not get to the postseason as that likely indicates the departure of Shurmur and Fangio. Let’s get to what happened to the Broncos on Sunday:
Playmakers?
For the longest time I defended our wide receivers because I believed they were not getting featured enough with Teddy at QB. Drew Lock however, did a much better job getting the ball into their hands but they did him no favors. From Sutton unable to get his feet down in bounds near the sideline to Albert O, Jeudy, and Patrick all dropping passes in clutch situations, they did Lock no favors. Lock went 15/22 for 153 yards with no TDs but also did not turn the ball over and if he was helped out a little bit more the stat line would be a little better. Drew wasn't perfect by any means but the wideouts did him no favors. At some point they have to start making plays on situations that are not favorable for them. Teams don't pay receivers like Patrick and Sutton to make the easy catches. Hopefully they can do more for Drew and finish the season on a positive note the remaining to games if in fact he starts the final 2 games.
2. Clueless Coaches
When Drew Lock is leading rusher with 10 yards, that's on coaching. Shurmur continues to display how clueless he is. Does he not see the interior of the line getting run over on nearly every snap? Part if it was Denver was down their starting Center but the raiders pass rush just bullied the trenches anyway. Why not mix in a stretch run or toss play and rely on the speed and playmaking ability to get some chunk plays. Asking this to Shurmur is the equivalent of begging a statue to start moving. Shurmer also loves to fake jet sweep to Jeudy before every snap. News flash Pat, in order for the defense to respect the sweep, you actually have to hand it to him every once in a blue moon. I realized that throwing short of the sticks to Noah Fant was a Shurmur problem and not a Teddy problem when a young gunslinger like Lock started doing the same. Now onto Fangio. The defensive line also got manhandled by the ravens offensive line and allowed Josh Jacobs to run over 100 yards for the first time this season. Defense made some plays forcing 2 turnovers and the Raiders basically gifting the 3rd one to them. However once again in the clutch, they did not come through especially down the stretch when they needed a stop. Got dominated in the trenches on both sides and to that I say by Vic and Pat.
3. Lock Has Improved
In the grand scheme of things it won't matter as Lock's time as a Denver Bronco is most likely coming to an end barring some miracle but I want to point out Lock is a better QB than he was in 2020. His footwork was sharp and he made much better decisions especially in off script plays where he escaped the pocket. The biggest jump he made to me was his pocket presence. He stayed poised in the pocket in the face of pressure and stepped up when he felt pressure rather than bailing from the pocket like he did many times last year. Especially against the blitz, he stood tall in the pocket and made some tough throws taking some shots to his body whereas last year he would back pedal and fling it up leading to turnovers. I hope he finds a new team and coaching staff that believes in him and he will show the Denver Broncos they messed up big time in his development from firing Scangarello to the fake QB competition in camp.
On a side note, for those who think I am making up the fact that Fangio preferred Teddy from the start over Lock, it is evident in his post game press conference when asked about Drew's performance today. When asked about Lock's performance he said, “I would say up and down, it's hard to say anything, When you get 158 yards of offense and eight first downs, it's hard to say anything good about the offense.” But 3 weeks ago he was asked about Teddy's performance against the Chiefs, he said, “One was a tip," Fangio said of Teddy's interceptions. "I'm not sure on the other one that he threw and they caught. I am not sure of the story behind that one. I thought Teddy did a lot of good things, we as a team did not do enough.” I rest my case.
(For Fangio Quotes)
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