Mile High Monday: The Broncos come crashing back down to Earth

The Denver Broncos faced their toughest opponent of the year so far against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4. The team fell short on Sunday, losing for the first time this year by a score of 23-7.

I like when the Broncos get a reality check. The game exposed a lot of weaknesses for the team on both sides of the ball. With the first loss behind them, hopefully the Broncos can learn a lot from this contest and change things moving forward.

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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Back to Lock

It’s only Week 4, but the Broncos had to make a quarterback change on Sunday. Starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was concussed in the first half, so when the Broncos took over in the third quarter, it was Drew Lock in the lineup. Lock held onto the ball too long, was generally inaccurate as a passer and threw an interception against the Ravens in a hapless effort to win the game.

Lock finished the game against the Ravens going 12-for-21 as a passer for 113 yards and the interception. Instead of providing a spark for the Broncos offense, Lock barely moved the chains and looked off the mark. He barely gets any reps in practice as the second-string quarterback, so Lock needed time to get his timing and rhythm right as a passer. The Ravens didn’t afford him that time, and the Broncos failed to score in the second half.

it's a 17 game season, you knew both QBs would have to play. Let's go Drew Lock and see what you can do! #Broncos @1043TheFan – remember, this QB battle was close in training camp and I believe Drew has learned quite a bit from Teddy

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) October 3, 2021

We’ll see how Bridgewater looks next week in practice. He’ll work his way through the concussion protocol this week. That means he may be out when practice kicks off on Wednesday. The hope for Bridgewater is that he can practice on a limited basis on Thursday and then with no setbacks have a full practice on Friday.

No matter Bridgewater’s status, expect Lock to get more work in practice this week. He needs to be ready and play better if called upon again in 2021.

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Noah’s Arc

I’m glad the Broncos went back to tight end Noah Fant after barely using him in Week 3. The season started out with an eight target game for Fant against the New York Giants. He caught six of those passes for 62 yards, proving to be a weapon for the passing game. I felt that sort of usage would continue because Fant’s a talented player and tight ends create mismatches all over the field.

That didn’t happen. Instead, Fant was targeted only six time against the Jacksonville Jaguars and then was only targeted three times against the New York Jets. He totaled nine targets in those two contests, but the Broncos went back to him against the Ravens and targeted him 10 times.

Fant responded with the lone score of the day, catching six of those 10 targets for 46 yards. While it was a bad day for the passing game, Fant was one of the consistent performers that either Bridgewater or Lock could count on.

Big run from Javonte Williams sparks #Broncos offense. TD pass from Teddy to Noah Fant. Glad to see Pat Shurmur go to TEs more this week. @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) October 3, 2021

Let’s hope the Broncos continue to use Fant and the tight ends more each week. If you look across the league, you see tight ends making big plays for their teams. The position is a weapon because most tight ends are too big for safeties to cover and too fast for linebackers to cover.

Fant is one of the most talented tight ends in the league. In fact, I think he’s a top-5 tight end in terms of physical ability and natural talent. The Broncos offense needs to get on track and move the ball. That can come with more targets and more involvement for Fant.

***

Early Impressions

I thought the Broncos at least got a solid special teams player when they selected safety Caden Sterns in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. I knew the upside was there for him to be more, but as a rookie it was difficult to project him for much of a role on the Broncos defense.

Stern has completely moved his timeline and is making big plays for the Broncos seemingly every week in his rookie season. Against the Ravens, Sterns had three tackles, 2.0 sacks and one pass defensed. Just like in college, Sterns is making plays and can be categorized as an impact player.

Caden Sterns has turned into a helluva player QUICKLY. I felt he'd be a special teams contributor as a rookie…scratch that…the kid is playing at a high level on defense…always around the ball just like in college. #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) October 3, 2021

The Broncos found a gem when they got Sterns late in the draft. My scouting report had Sterns graded as a late-round pick with upside. At the University of Texas, Sterns had a great freshmen season, but his game tailed off after that – mainly due to injuries that caused him to miss time.

Now healthy, Sterns is showcasing his talent and seems to always be around the ball. He diagnoses plays quickly and knows how to predict route combinations. Sterns is a reserve for the Broncos now, but he’s looking more and more like a future starter for the Broncos.

***

Many Smiles for Many Saints of Newark

I was a big fan of “The Sopranos” back in the day. Watching actor James Gandolfini play the character Tony Soprano was outstanding. It was one of my favorite TV shows of all time, and after the passing of Gandolfini in 2013, I didn’t think we’d ever see any Sopranos content in the future – and if we did the character would have to be recast.

The new movie “The Many Saints of Newark” is a prequel to the Sopranos, and Michael Gandolfini (the son of James) plays a young Tony Soprano. Like father, like son and this is a great homage to his father in a role that had to be emotional to play.

I’m not going to spoil the movie, but I will say that this movie is great. I love the way it fits into the Sopranos universe and tells more stories from that world that we may have heard about during the original TV series, but we get to see these old stories play out on the screen. It was a great journey back to that world, and I applaud the cast on a well-acted movie.

Me whenever there was a callback to The Sopranos in The Many Saints of Newark pic.twitter.com/WjFSmUKb11

— SopranosWorld (@SopranosWorld) October 1, 2021

Did you enjoy “The Many Saints of Newark” on HBO Max? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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