Broncos offense stalls, can’t find rhythm early vs. Raiders

The early parts of games have not been kind to the Denver Broncos offense.

A week after the team followed an opening drive with three 3-and-outs against the San Diego Chargers, the Broncos went 0-for-4 on in its first four drives in terms of getting a first down.

“It’s tough being in the hole like that. Four 3-and-outs, it’s not good for the whole football team,” quarterback Trevor Siemian said after the game. “But certainly we’ve got to find a way to find a rhythm earlier on in the ball game.”

Denver would eventually drive down on its fifth possession Sunday night in Oakland and score a touchdown on the Raiders, along with a field goal at the end of a half, but the slow start left the Broncos in a hole early that they couldn’t climb out of late, losing 30-20 and giving up first place in the AFC West.

“After we went through those first four series, which weren’t good, I think we went to something that gave us a chance to move the football,” head coach Gary Kubiak said after the game. “You average 6-point-something yards a play, you should be out there having a chance to win games. But it all came after a very, very poor start.”

The four 3-and-outs appear like a microcosm for Denver’s offensive struggles early in games this season. In it’s previous eight games before Sunday night, the Broncos hadn’t secured more than one first down on its opening drive since Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts.

And during the past two weeks, Denver never truly established a running game, running for just 57 yards against San Diego last week and 33 yards against the Raider on Sunday.

Siemian put the lack of a rushing attack on the offensive not staying on the field long enough nor converting those early third downs.

“You know, you can’t run the ball if you’re not on the field,” Siemian said. “So converting those third downs and staying on the field and getting in a rhythm helps not just quarterbacks, receivers but the offensive line.”

Last week, former Broncos tackle and 104.3 The Fan’s Tyler Polumbus pointed to a lack of a run-pass balance early in games to let the offensive line establish the tone of the game.

Last week, in his Monday press conference following the Chargers game, Kubiak said: “We’re going to continue to attack, but the key to being balanced in football is staying on the field, getting first downs and staying on the football field.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.