Broncos Lose to Rams Amidst SpyGate

The Broncos fell to 3-8 after a 36-33 loss at home to St.Louis on Sunday. Denver raced out to a 10-0 and 13-7 early lead, but the Rams, behind rookie QB Sam Bradford, stormed back to go on a 26-0 run and take a 33-13 lead midway through the third quarter. Denver stormed back late on the back of three Kyle Orton TD passes- two to Brandon Lloyd and one to Eddie Royal. Denver cut the game to 36-33 and forced the Rams to punt late in the fourth. Denver took over at their own 34 with 1:04 left and only needing a field goal. However, a sack and three straight incompletions finished off the Broncos. It was a disapointing loss but the reality is that Denver got beat by a better team. The Rams are improved and Sam Bradford looks like the real deal. The Broncos once again started off hot, but faltered after that. They did show some guts and pride by getting back into the game when they were down by 20. All in all the Broncos defense failed them once again, turnovers and penalties killed drives, and Kyle Orton couldn't come through in the clutch. Here are my thoughts on the game and events taking place in Dove Valley....

1) The Broncos defense is just as bad as it was two years ago. They couldn't get any pressure on Sam Bradford and he made them pay. He cut them up in the secondary and Broncos had no answers. They also got beat for a touchdown on the same play that the Raiders scored on earlier in the year. That is bad defense and bad coaching. The Broncos simply have bad personnel on their defensive unit.
2) Typical Kyle Orton on Sunday. He plays great in the beginning, doesn't do anything for two quarters, and then plays well with his team down 20 points late in the third quarter. Orton has to go, and he is just not a big time player. He is the "Greatest Meaningless Stats" QB of all time.
3) The Broncos defense is so bad that their offense has to score a touchdown on basically every possession. Their offense isn't good enough to do that, so you are not going to win a lot of games down the stretch.
4) I think Josh McDaniels calls a good game, but he really does abandon the running game too often. He needs to push the running game more, and Knowshon Moreno has played well the last few games.
5) As far as Spygate II goes, I have to believe McDaniels is not that dumb to order someone to videotape the 49ers. I believe the NFL would have found out more on McD's actions, and would have really went after him if really was guilty of everything. You have to believe that McDaniels didn't look at the tape either. Either way, McDaniels made a mistake by not reporting it right away. He made a mistake and that is it. He really did more, then the NFL would have gotten him for it, so there is no sense playing the what if game and second guessing it.
6) The Spygate incident is just another negative point on McDaniels' Broncos resume. He has a lot of people against him, not only in Denver, but all over the country and in the media and in the league. I have defended him on a lot of occasions, but it is hard to defend him on the whole Spygate issue. It is a black eye and a bad situation for the Broncos organization. If McDaniels were to get fired at the end of the season, they you could easily see why. If he doesn't get fired, then he has to win and work hard to get back in the good graces of Denver fans.
7) I think Pat Bowlen is lost. On Monday, an AOL Fanhouse report has Bowlen quoted saying that McDaniels will be back in 2011, he has confidence he can turn it around, and he isn't interested in changing coaches. Then later that night, the Denver Post has a statement from Bowlen saying that he is monitoring McDaniels situation and will wait till the end of the season to make a decision on his future. What the fuck is wrong with Bowlen? He seems confused, lost and completely out of touch with what is going on. Maybe Bowlen hasn't lost it completely, but he seems to be unsure and very undecisive about anything that is going on with his team and franchise. Pat needs to step up and look in the mirror and make a decision at the end of the year. If he stays with McD, then evaluate the organization and make some changes internally. If he fires McD, then he must find the right head coach and still change the way the organization is run.

8) The Broncos head to KC on Sunday. Hopefully, the Broncos can play spoiler and screw up the Chiefs hopes for a division, and maybe we are getting closer and closer to Tebow Time in Denver.