Falcons Outplay Broncos 23-16 as Denver Falls to 4-1

The Falcons came to Denver on Sunday and took down the previously undefeated Broncos 23-16 to give the Broncos their first loss of the season. The Falcons and their high-powered offense came in at 3-1 and it was going to be fascinating to see how that group would match up against the Broncos defense. The Broncos defense did well containing Julio Jones, but the Falcons exploited the Denver defense by using their backs out of the backfield on the Broncos linebackers. Both Todd Davis and Brandon Marshall had trouble with Tevin Coleman and Dovanta Freeman. The Broncos never adjusted and they couldn't stop it. Then, to compound the problems, Paxton Lynch struggled in his first career NFL start. The offensive line couldn't protect for Lynch, and the Broncos had trouble moving the ball all day. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game...

1) It started early in the 1st quarter and it continued throughout the game, and Atlanta killed the Broncos by using their backs out of the backfield in the passing game. Coleman and Freeman killed the Broncos linebackers all day. Coleman ended up with 4 catches with 132 yards and a TD, and Freeman added 3 catches for 35 yards. I don't think it is a blueprint for beating the Broncos defense every week, but it is certainly a cause for concern. I also was surprised that the Broncos had no answer for that and couldn't adjust.

2) The Broncos offense struggled to block the Falcons pass rush. Ty Sambraillo started at RT and he got abused by Vic Beasley all game long. Beasley had 4 sacks on the day, and the entire Falcons defense got 6 sacks overall and just harassed Paxton Lynch all game long. They also shut down the Broncos running game. I know that Sambraillo might not be healthy enough to play RT, and the Broncos need Donald Stephenson to come back soon from injury, but give the Falcons defense credit for getting after the Broncos offense all game long/

3) It was a rough day for Paxton Lynch in first career start. He didn't get help from his offensive line, but he was inaccurate early and he held onto the ball too long, but it was his first career start, and you can't expect him to light it up right away. I still think that Lynch will be a good QB, and I still believe that he is the future at that position, but with any rookie, you have to expect some rough moments and this past week was one of those days.

4) I'm still surprised that Wade Phillips and the Broncos defense made no adjustments as the game went on. A game like this exposes the fact that the team misses a guy like Danny Trevathan. I would expect that Phillips would be able to figure something out, but he was never able to find the answer.

5) Everything about this game was just weird. The Broncos started slow, fell behind 10-0, and the it just seemed like they couldn't get back into the game. It sucks that they lost at home in this fashion, but it seemed like something was off the entire game. It was like they were sleepwalking through most of the game, and expected that they would find a way to win the game late, but it just never materialized.

6) The key turning points and sequences were when the Broncos were backed up at their own 1 yard line in the third quarter. Lynch threw a play action pass out of the endzone and he threw a pick into double coverage. A few plays later, Matt Ryan hit Coleman on a 31 yard TD pass on a 2nd and 19 to give the Falcons a 20-3 lead halfway through the 3rd quarter. It was a backbreaker and effectively ended the game. Also, at the end of the 3rd quarter, T. J. Ward made a great play to strip the ball away from the receiver at midfield to give the Broncos a much-needed turnover, but the Broncos could only muster a field goal to make it 20-6. That was an opportunity that was missed by the Broncos.

7) After the loss, the news for the Broncos got worse with the news that Gary Kubiak had to go to the hospital. He was diagnosed with complex migraine syndrome, and he will be out for this Thursday's game at San Diego. Joe DeCamilis will be the interim HC and it is expected that Kubiak will rejoin the team next week. The Broncos suffered a very disappointing loss at home to the Falcons, but they will have to regroup quick with a key division road game at San Diego on a short week. At 4-1, all is not lost for the Broncos, but it is amazing how the NFL is a week-to-week league. So much can change in a week's time, and the Broncos need to get a win at SD on Thursday night, and use the 11 days off to get ready for the Texans on Monday night October 24th.