Take a Deep Breath
- Arjun Peroor
- Dec 29, 2024
- 5 min read
The Broncos would've punched their ticket to the postseason with a win in Cincy yesterday but fell short 24-30 late in overtime as Burrow found Tee Higgins for the game-sealing TD. It was a tough loss to swallow, especially because of all the chances Denver was given and their inability to capitalize. There are a plethora of reasons why Denver lost this game:
3rd Down Defense
The Broncos' defense was not bad by any means yesterday. They played arguably the best offense in the league and kept them in check for the first half of the game, as it was 7-3 Bengals. But when your offense doesn't do much, keeping a great offense like Cincy in check is too much to ask. However, one aspect of the game that the defense struggled with was giving up 3rd down conversions. The Bengals were 7/13 on 3rd down. One of them was a 3rd and 13 at the beginning of the 4th quarter, with the game tied at 10-10. Denver had a chance to get off the field but gave up 19 yards, which kept the drive going, eventually leading to the Bengals scoring later that drive they went up 17-10. This was a theme all game. The Bengals did not punt in regulation of this game. Part of that was because Denver did a good job stopping them on 4th down, but that also was because the Bengals had no drives where they went three and out and had long, sustained ones—their lone punt game in OT.
Poor OT Offensive execution
The Broncos' offense had a terrific 4th quarter but was downright awful in the extra period. The offense as a whole mustered up six total yards on six plays. Despite the chances they were given after the defense forced a Cincy punt and Cincy missed a game-winning field goal, the Broncos were unable to do anything on either of their possession. To beat good teams, you must take advantage of opportunities handed to you.
Riley Moss Struggled
I am happy to see Riley Moss back, but my goodness, did he struggle. It just seemed like Burrow picked on him all game. With PS2 on Chase, Moss's assignment was Tee Higgins, who finished the game with 11 catches, 131, and 3 Touchdowns, which included the game-winner that was scored on him. Moss hasn't played since week 12, so it must have been a matter of rust. Regardless of the reason, he was a weakness on the defense yesterday. I have no doubt he will be better next week, though. Moss said it best, "Sometimes you eat a shit sandwich."
Bo-Troy Chemistry is Negative
Unlike Moss, I am worried about Troy Franklin's production for the team in the long term. Franklin has only 251 yards on the season and two touchdowns. The chemistry between him and Bo has just not been there, which is so strange because they were college teammates. You'd think that if Bo had chemistry with anyone, it would be the receiver he has played the longest with. It seems like nothing good has happened when Bo targets Franklin. Either Franklin drops it, or Bo overthrows him. The Broncos' final offensive play in OT was an overthrow by Bo to Franklin. A completion there would have allowed the Broncos to run out the clock and end the game in a tie, which would have gotten them into the postseason.
Go for 2?
After the touchdown to make it 23-24 with 8 seconds left, Bo Nix looked at Sean Payton and seemingly signaled that he wanted to go for 2. Instead, Payton overruled the decision and took his chances in overtime. In hindsight, it is easy to say that they should've gone for two based on the results. However, I think they should have gone for two at the moment. The Broncos played a gritty game, but they were also fortunate. In the first half, Jamar Chase dropped an easy touchdown, which led to no points in the drive. The first half could have been 14-3 instead of 7-3, and who knows how the second half would have gone. The Broncos were lucky enough to even have a chance to tie the game at the end. The Bengals had the ball deep in Broncos territory with 1:39 on the clock as Denver had one timeout left. The Bengals just had to kneel 3 times and kick the FG, and they would be up 20-17 with 10 seconds left. Instead, they ran the ball on first and goal, and the runner got injured, which automatically forced Cincinnati to burn a timeout since it was under 2 min. As a result, the Broncos kept their timeout. So, if the Bengals just decided to kill the clock and kick the FG, the Broncos would have around 40 seconds to score a field goal. The extra stoppage allowed them to save 30-40 seconds. So the Bengals decided that they would just go ahead and score and make it 24-17 and force Denver to score a touchdown. Which is what they did as they scored on the next play after the injury, so Denver had 1:29 to answer. Bo Nix and the Broncos were able to, which made it 23-24, and it felt like Denver was incredibly lucky to be in that position. It felt like the Bengals were the better team all game, but the Broncos found a way to hang on, and at that point, if I were Sean Payton, you try to end the game then and there. Don't take your chances in overtime because Cincy has shown to be the better team all game.
Despite the tough loss, I want to point out a bright spot: Bo Nix. It's games like these that determine whether you have a Franchise QB or not. Nix had a tough first half. The offense could not get anything going in the first half, where two of their three drives resulted in 3 and out and could only total 3 points in the first half. He then turned it around in the second half and tossed three touchdowns. His game-tying drive with 1:29 left in the game came right after a drive where he threw an interception. His most admirable quality is his ability to move on to the next thing quickly and not allow his previous mistakes to linger. His going blow-for-blow with Joe Burrow on the road in the jungle is what excites me the most and gives me faith that this team may not be as screwed as I initially thought they were if they end up playing in the postseason vs the Bills in Buffalo. This game showed that Nix can go on the road in a playoff-like atmosphere and battle with the best of them. I see Buffalo and Cincy the same way: 2 teams with great QBs and offenses with a mediocre at best defense.
It's easy to be down on this team, squandering back-to-back opportunities to make the playoffs, but let's take a step back. This team was projected to win five games. Many thought that Bo Nix was the wrong choice and was drafted too high. PFF ranked this roster the worst in the NFL before the season started. Instead, this team is 9-7 and can make the playoffs with either a Bengals loss next week or a win vs the Chiefs backups. If someone were to tell me that was going to be the scenario going into week 18, I would be jumping with joy. Let's take care of business and you never know what can happen after that.
コメント