The Broncos took on the Patriots in a rematch of the epic 2015 AFC Championship Game on Sunday in the same stadium that the Broncos pulled the upset over New England and sent them on their way to Super Bowl 50 and their third Lombardi Trophy. All the good vibes from that day and that game evaporated about four plays in when Jordan Norwood fumbled a punt and the Pats recovered and took a 3-0 lead. In a game that the Pats never trailed, the Broncos defense was valiant but their offense couldn't move the ball a lick on the Pats, and New England rolled to a 16-3 thumping of the Broncos. Denver falls to 8-6 and on the outside looking in of the playoffs with only two games left. They are also going to need a lot of help to get in. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game....
1) Jordan Norwood's fumbling the first punt return in the game really just set the tone. Norwood struggled with punts in the KC game a few weeks ago, and the Broncos made a roster move to promote Kalif Raymond as their punt returner, but Gary Kubiak decided to deactivate Raymond and elevate Norwood back to the return spot and it backfired. After the defense forced a three and out, Norwood gave the ball right back to the Pats and they converted a field goal and the Broncos were already down 3-0.
2) The other turning point in the first half was Trevor Siemian's pick deep in NE territory early in the second quarter with game tied at 3. The Broncos were moving the ball well and had put together a solid drive and were inside the Pats 20, so they were looking like they were getting at least 3 points, but Siemian threw a terrible pick to Logan Ryan and the Pats scored on the ensuing possession to take 10-3 lead. That pretty much doomed the Broncos right there.
3) Another bad play by Siemian happened late in 2nd quarter. Denver lost six yards on a dump off to Justin Forsett and it took then them out of FG range.
4) The Broncos defense played well early. Tom Brady started the game 0-6 passing. They got some pressure, and there was a big sack by Shane Ray early in the half. It was a bend but don't break mentality in the run game. They were also good on third down. It never looked like Brady was comfortable. Unfortunately, they go no help from the offense at all. It is a shame because the defense played well enough to win and the offense killed them.
5) I actually had no problem with Kubiak not calling timeouts to get ball back with 1:40 left in the 2nd quarter. The Broncos offense was going to be backed up deep in their own end, and the Pats had timeouts and the Broncos were getting the ball to start the half. If the Broncos don't move the ball, then the Pats were going to call their timeouts and get the ball back. They were down 10-3, and there was no reason to risk going down any further. That's how bad it is for our offense at this point.
6) There was a big drop by A.J. Derby early in 3rd quarter to kill a drive and that was about it for the Broncos until the end of the game. Broncos started the second half with these offensive possessions: FIVE straight 3 and outs. Their last two possessions ended in a Demaryius Thomas drop after a big hit to lose the ball on downs and another fumble by Norwood to effectively end the game. Just a terrible job all around by the offense. The Pats were more physical, beat them up, and dominated the game from that perspective. Bill Belichick proved that Trevor Siemian doesn't scare any defense, and the Broncos simply couldn't win at the point of attack against the Pats front seven. It was 16-3 because the defense kept it somewhat manageable and the Pats also realized they didn't have to do much on offense except not take too many chances and grind out the clock. That is all they had to do in this game and it worked.
7) The Broncos fall to 8-6 and now they need major help to get to the playoffs. First, they have to beat KC and Oakland, which will be a very difficult task-especially in Arrowhead on Christmas night. If that happens, then Miami has to lose both their games and they need Baltimore to lose one more game. If Miami splits their last two, then the Broncos need the Ravens to lose one and the Titans to lose one of their last two. Again, this is all provided the Broncos somehow beat the Chiefs on Sunday night. I just don't see how the Broncos can turn this around, and I don't see them getting the breaks that they need to pull this off. There is no way they are going to get this offense going the last two games against the 10-4 Chiefs and the 11-3 Raiders. It is a shame because this team started 4-0, 6-2, and 8-4, and now they are likely to miss the playoffs. It looks pretty bleak right now in Denver and the defending Super Bowl champs look like they will be watching the playoffs at home-something that was not expected about a month ago.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment