Mile High Monday: Did the Broncos find their formula in the fourth quarter?

Nov 2, 2020, 6:22 AM

Denver Sports Analyst

The Broncos stayed focused on the win and got it on Sunday against the Chargers. Down by 21 points, Denver’s players never gave up on each other – even though they could have easily done that. Instead, the defense continued to play strong and the offense finally got things together enough to score within the final seconds of the game to win.

I like when the Broncos win. I’ve been a credentialed member of the media covering the Broncos since 2004 and there have been many ups and downs along the way. Trust me when I say that this team is more fun to be around when they’re winning.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Tale of Two Halves

The dirty secret in the NFL is that it’s all about “fit” when it comes to quarterback play. The best teams and the top quarterbacks find a way to fit together and get the most out of the system and out of the quarterback’s skill set.

Denver had a fit last year with former offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, but they chose to fire him after the season and replace him with former Giants head coach Pat Shurmur. With everything built around Lock this offseason, Shurmur needed to show that he could craft an offense custom built for the young passer.

Instead, we saw an inconsistent game plan from Shurmur and Lock looked lost at times. Lock is a gunslinger and he wants to attack downfield as much as possible. After that failed against the Chiefs in Week 7, Lock was “coached up” in preparation for the Chargers game to just take what the defense gave him.

That’s why early in the game against the Chargers Lock didn’t look like himself as he dogmatically followed the direction of Shurmur and could barely move the ball.

As I expected, Drew Lock is not playing like Lock. He is hesitant to go down the field because it was coached into him this week to take the short stuff. THAT DOESN'T WORK. You need a combination of both. Pat Shurmur's offense is awful for Lock. #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) November 1, 2020

In the second half, all that changed. Lock started to look more like himself as he operated from the shotgun formation and was able to go downfield – mainly on deep crossing routes – to move the ball and attack the Chargers defense.

Will Shurmur learn that this is the way to get the most out of Lock? Only time will tell but there is a clear blueprint for what works with Lock and what doesn’t.

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Finally Flashes

The 2020 NFL Draft featured the greatest wide receiver class to ever enter the NFL. Looking around the league, many of these rookie wide receivers – like Brandon Aiyuk (49ers), Justin Jefferson (Vikings) and Chase Claypool (Steelers) – have been lighting up the box scores for their respective teams. Denver was the second team to select a wide receiver in the first round, but Jerry Jeudy had not yet had a huge game to showcase his potential.

Jeudy is arguably the best receiver taken in the best receiving class in NFL history, yet we had seen his targets shrink from about eight per game in the first three games of the year to around four per game over the final few contests. That all changed on Sunday against the Chargers.

Jeudy was targeted 10 times by Lock and was able to haul in four of those passes for 73 yards. His big 43-yard reception helped move the Broncos into scoring position as they made their feverish comeback.

Jerry Jeudy can be great in the NFL. I hope they continue to feature him in some way, even when other WRs are healthy. #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) November 1, 2020

Finally, after seven games, Jeudy flashed what he could be in the NFL – and he’s just getting started. I believe the team needs to continue featuring Jeudy as the leading receiver, even when Tim Patrick returns from his hamstring injury. Jeudy has superstar potential that nobody else at the wide receiver position has – outside of Courtland Sutton – but he’s not coming back this season. Jeudy is a player you can build around to attack a defense on a weekly basis. Hopefully, Shurmur learned his lesson.

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Not Missing Melvin

The Chargers let Melvin Gordon leave in free agency after a tumultuous career with them. Gordon was a first-round pick by the then San Diego Chargers, but he only rushed for over 1,000 yards once in his time in the powder blue. Gordon held out in 2019 as he wanted a new contract, but the Chargers did not budge.

He left the Chargers and signed with the Broncos this offseason to a contract that pays him $8 million per year. That mark was good for the sixth-highest annual average salary for running backs in the NFL. Not only has Gordon not played up to his contract, the Chargers do not miss him at all.

170 yards on the ground for the Chargers….it's safe to say they don't miss Melvin Gordon at all whatsoever. #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) November 1, 2020

Gordon rushed the ball eight times for 26 yards against his old team on Sunday. That’s a pathetic 3.3 yards per carry. The backs the Chargers are using to replace him, Justin Jackson (5.2 YPC), Joshua Kelley (4.6 YPC) and Troymaine Pope (6.7 YPC) all looked better than the Broncos $8 million man.

The Chargers are missing star running back Austin Ekeler who outshined Gordon with the Chargers over the last couple of years. Even without Ekeler, the Chargers look like they don’t miss Gordon at all. The Broncos gave him a big contract, and that deal is looking worse and worse by the week as Gordon underperforms, misses time due to sickness and gets in trouble with the law off the field.

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Saving Star Wars

I love Star Wars. I always have and I always will. I am a super fan, but I’m not a blind homer to the problems that Disney has had with the Star Wars franchise since they purchased it from creator George Lucas years ago.

They released a sequel trilogy that was disjointed to say the least. Things started out hopeful with the release of “The Force Awakens,” but it was the next movie – “The Last Jedi” – that caused the fan base to revolt. The next movie, and final film in the Skywalker saga, “The Rise of Skywalker,” tried to fix what went wrong in “The Last Jedi” while also answering some questions raised in “The Force Awakens.” Needless to say, this created a huge mess that has almost ruined the franchise as many long-time Star Wars fans have lost interest.

It’s a good thing we’ve got the Disney+ TV show “The Mandalorian” to save the franchise. Season two of “The Mandalorian” debuted on Friday and I excitedly watched the episode twice. It’s so good and has rejuvenated my Star Wars fandom.