The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Broncos should reward Latavius Murray

The opponent may have been awful, but you should never apologize for a win.

That’s what the Denver Broncos earned on Sunday with a stellar second half against the Arizona Cardinals. They ran the ball relentlessly, the defense forced timely turnovers and Nathaniel Hackett’s group finally snapped a five-game losing streak with the 24-15 victory.

How did it happen and what were the biggest takeaways? Let’s dive into it with our 14th edition of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good

The Broncos need to reward running back Latavius Murray with a new contract before this season ends. He’ll be a free agent this spring, and Denver GM George Paton shouldn’t let it get that far. Murray was a monster against the Cardinals, toting the rock 24 times for 130 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry.

And really, Murray’s been very good ever since Paton claimed him off the New Orleans practice squad earlier this season. He’s scored four touchdowns, he’s averaged nearly four yards a touch and most importantly, he hasn’t fumbled the football. He’s everything Melvin Gordon never was, and his presence made Gordon expendable.

With the future of Javonte Williams unclear after his devastating knee injury earlier this year, it’d be smart for the Broncos to give Murray a new deal now. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, a one-year extension for a couple million dollars, but the 32-year-old would almost certainly accept. That gives the Broncos a clear No. 1 running back heading into training camp in 2023, while Williams returns when he’s ready.

The Bad

While the offensive line was good in the running game on Sunday, as evidenced by Murray’s afternoon and the 168 total yards on the ground, they weren’t good in pass protection. The makeshift unit, thanks to an unfathomable amount of injuries, gave up seven sacks of backup QB Brett Rypien. Three of those were by future Hall of Famer JJ Watt.

Offensive line has to be Paton’s No. 1 priority in the 2023 NFL Draft, no matter what any asinine mock draft projects otherwise. In a team full of roster holes, it’s clearly No. 1. Some guys will return from injury, like left tackle Garett Bolles, but others could leave this offseason. Dalton Risner is a free agent, for example. Paton needs to start re-building that group right away.

The only other bad thing against the Cardinals was Brandon McManus missing a 38-yard field goal. That can’t happen. He is now tied for the lead in the NFL with Browns rookie Cade York for the most missed kicks. McManus, once an elite player, might now be a liability. Add kicker as an area Denver may need to look for an upgrade.

The Ugly

Did you see the crowd at the start of the game?! Our Andrew Mason documented one of the saddest sites at kickoff this Broncos fan has ever seen. If there are picture of a more empty Mile High as the first quarter begins, send them my way. It looked like a high school state championship game.

The official no-show count was announced at 18,423, but it might have been more than that. There were areas of the upper-deck that looked to have more empty seats than fans. If you lined all the people up back-to-back that skipped the game, that’s 3.5 miles worth of folks. Hopefully ownership was paying attention.

Despite the win and despite three interceptions, two from Justin Simmons and one from Pat Surtain II, big changes are still needed. Hackett rightfully didn’t want to make the victory about himself, but is a triumph over the pathetic Cardinals really going to save him? It might, but it shouldn’t.

Regardless, not being wildly mad at the end of a Broncos game on Sunday felt good. We haven’t had that feeling in a long time. In a season that’s off the rails, we’ll take any good moment we can get.

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