The refs weren’t the reason the Broncos lost, but they didn’t help
Dec 17, 2023, 11:56 AM
The Denver Broncos got their butt kicked by the Detroit Lions on Saturday night. The final score was 42-17, and it wasn’t even that close – and that’s not close at all! This game at times felt like the beatdown the Broncos sustained at the hands of the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.
The Broncos were beaten on both offense and defense. The struggles they had on Saturday night are common for those following this team – and there are no personnel moves to fix their issues.
After the game, Broncos head coach Sean Payton gave credit to his former protégé, Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell.
“Real quickly, we tip our hats to Detroit. They kind of kicked our butts tonight. They outplayed us, they outcoached us. There wasn’t a lot positive for us in that game. Thought those guys did a real good job, the red area, third down, really in all phases. So, frustrating night. It’s tough to have one of these nights. Obviously, there’s a lot at stake.” Payton said.
Here are three observations from the Broncos loss to the Lions in Week 15.
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Red Flags, Red Faced
The officials in this game were not great. That’s a common and frustrating theme in today’s NFL. It seems like at least once a game; officials are making a bad call that impacts a game – and this might happen in almost every game each week. Yes, it’s that bad.
Against the Lions as the Broncos were fighting to get back in the game, they had a rushing touchdown by fullback Michael Burton called back due to an offensive offsides penalty of RG Quinn Meinerz. This had to be one of the worst calls I’ve seen all season long – not just for the Broncos but for the entire league.
After that scoring play, which was overturned, Payton was fuming. The cameras caught his displeasure with the call, and it was a time where he wasn’t throwing the red challenge flag with a red face due to anger. You even saw him yelling at QB Russell Wilson after the play.
Payton didn’t really get into the officials, but he did mention Burton’s touchdown that was taken away due to penalty.
“They were close. The problem is there were right at that – when you start challenging spots, it becomes difficult, so the frustrating part of the sequence was the next run. So, we’ll leave it at that.” Payton said.
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Goff Untouched
Lions’ QB Jared Goff is terrible when under pressure. His QBR under pressure was .5 percent – easily the worst in the league. The key to winning this game came down to how much pressure Goff felt. The Broncos are among the best when it comes to disrupted dropback rate, but they failed to do much against Goff.
The Broncos did not get after the quarterback. Yes, they had a couple of sacks in Week 15, but for the most part Goff was comfortable and mostly untouched as he picked apart the Broncos’ defense from the pocket.
It wasn’t until the third quarter that Goff had back-to-back incompletions, and there’s no mystery as to why he had a 70.6 percent completion rate against Denver. The Lions have a ton of weapons, but one of Goff’s favorite targets is rookie TE Sam LaPorta. He finished the game with three receiving touchdowns, with Goff having four touchdown passes on the day.
Payton highlighted the balance which helped keep them away from Goff.
“They had good balance. They ran the ball. I mean one of the real good allies is if you’re running the ball and you’re getting to those good down-and- distances, I think that’s important.” Payton said.
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Run Defense Still a Problem
Even when the Broncos were on a 5-game winning streak, their run defense still needed work. We saw it back in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders. In that game, Washington was down by 17 points, yet they came out in the second half and just kept running the ball. The strategy worked, and it exposed arguably the largest weakness of the Broncos’ defense.
Many teams go away from the ground game too soon, but the Lions were able to keep at the Broncos with veteran RB David Montgomery and rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs. Those two players combined for 28 carries, 185 rushing yards, and one touchdown on the ground. Montgomery was able to beat up the Broncos with his power, while Gibbs was able to gash the Broncos with his speed.
Montgomery and Gibbs are arguably the best duo the Broncos have seen since Week 3 against the Dolphins when both Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane ran wild in the 50-point win. As the playoffs draw near, more teams are going to run the ball. If Denver makes the postseason, any opponent will be able to move the ball against them on the ground.
Payton says his team will be able to turn the page after this tough loss.
“Yeah, absolutely. Look, this is a tough League and like I said to the – I said this to the players afterward, ‘You’re going to play in these games once in a while. It’s difficult to swallow.’ Certainly, as coaches, it starts with us. We’ve got to be better, but man, we’ve got to be able to shake it pretty soon here and then get ready to play New England.” Payton said.
