The Broncos defeated the Raiders on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High in the final game of the 2019 regular season. Shelby Harris knocked down a two-point conversion attempt with only a few seconds to go and the Broncos celebrated a 16-15 win over their division rivals. The win meant that Denver finished strong with a 7-5 record after starting 0-4, and it also pushed Drew Lock's record to 4-1 as a first year starter. It was also a great game because I was there myself in person! My wife surprised me for my 40th birthday with tickets to the game, and we brought our two sons with us all the way from Long Island. It was a weekend none of us will ever forget. Here is my final thoughts and observations from the game from a little different perspective this week.....
1) The stadium and the crowd had a lot of energy all game long. There was a lot of enthusiasm from the crowd, and it felt like the Broncos were battling for a playoff spot with the way the crowd was into it. That was very satisfying considering the Broncos were 6-9 and out of the playoff chase.
2) Give kudos to the in-game stadium crew for their entertainment on the big screen and getting the fans involved. A lot of great music, videos, hype-up songs, and even a funny little skit with Baby Yoda. Very well done.
3) I love watching warmups when I go to games, and I was paying attention to Chris Harris, considering this might be his last game as a Bronco. Harris seemed distant from his teammates during warmups, and he looked as though he was off to the side during team breakdowns. I just got the vibe that this was the last time we see Harris in a Broncos uniform.
4) It was cool to see John Elway standing on the sidelines during warmups. Elway just looks like a cool guy and an awesome dude to hang out with.
5) Seeing Drew Lock in person was really neat. Even in person, you can see how strong his arm is and how he makes some difficult throws look really easy. Very impressive.
6) As for the game, the Raiders absolutely dominated and should have won the game, but they made a ton of mistakes, fell victim to some bad calls, and just couldn't get out of their own way at times. They had a touchdown reversed due to a booth review, got stuffed inside the Broncos 1 on 4th down, missed a field goal, fumbled before the end of the half, and took a bunch of key penalties. Denver had no business winning this game.
7) The Broncos literally almost blew the game to the Raiders. Royce Freeman fumbled inside Raiders territory with the Broncos up 16-6 and under six minutes to go in the game. The Raiders got a field goal out of the drive, and after the Broncos stopped the Raiders on 4th down the next drive, a Garret Bolles personal foul penalty backed up the Broncos 15 yards and forced Brandon McManus to try a 56 yard field goal to give Denver a 19-9 lead and essentially clinching the game. McManus missed it right, and of course the Raiders drove down to get a touchdown from Derek Carr to Hunter Renfrow. Jon Gruden decided to go for 2, and Harris knocked down Carr's pass and preserved the Broncos win. From my view, you could see Carr looking for Renfrow all the way, and he was wide open. If Harris doesn't knock it down, the Raiders would have converted that play.
8) It was a great day from start to finish. My sons got to meet Derek Wolfe, Dalton Risner, Philip Lindsay, and Justin Simmons before the game as the players entered through their tunnel. The whole weekend was amazing and I'm so happy the Broncos won the game and finished 7-9.
9) This season was not the success that the Broncos wanted or us fans expected, but with the emergence of Drew Lock and the continued development of the other young, core players, the feeling in Denver for the Broncos at the end of this season is so much better than the last two years. It feels like the Broncos are getting ready to make a run to the playoffs in 2020. It was fun watching this team when Drew Lock took over, and to finish 4-1 in the last five games, was a great way to end the year and head into the offseason. I'll be doing my after season mailbag in the next few days, and I'll address all the different topics related to the Broncos heading into the winter.
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