The Broncos got a much-needed wake-up call in loss to the Ravens

The Denver Broncos lost their first game of the 2021 season on Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens beat them handily by a score of 23-7. After beginning the season with three wins over bad teams, the Broncos had their first real challenge against a good (not great) team. Instead of rising to the challenge, the Broncos fell short – way short.

On Monday, Broncos head coach Vic Fangio revealed what his message was for the team after the tough loss.

“It’s just time to move on. It’s a 17-round fight. We lost the fourth round. We’ve got to get off the stool and go answer the bell for the fifth round,” Fangio said.

It was the first loss of the season, but more importantly it was a wakeup call for the team. If they heed this call, then their losses will be minimized. If not, it’s going to be a long season despite a 3-0 start.

Here are just a few ways the Broncos got a wakeup call in Week 4.

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Don’t Go Away Mad

The Broncos don’t run the ball enough for my liking. With a two-headed rushing attack that could be the best in the league, the Broncos run the ball well – but just for a bit.

Once they face a bit of adversity, they abandon the ground game in the blink of an eye. Yes, teams have been stacking the box to stuff the run, but they need to show resilience when it comes to setting the tone with the running game.

Melvin Gordon is the starter, and he has been playing good football. He’s a slashing back with speed and the ability to make defenders miss in the open field. Rookie Javonte Williams is built like a tank and can pick up many yards after contact. Utilizing both players correctly would be devastating for defenses – no matter what their game plan was to stop them.

On Monday, Fangio admitted why they didn’t run the ball more against the Ravens.

“Yeah, statistically, it wasn’t. You’re just looking at yards per carry, which is when you throw in a 31 yarder. Then we had two other good runs there by Melvin, but by and large they were winning the running downs. When you look at yards per carry, that’s probably the worst thing to look at,” Fangio said.

I believe Denver should be a run-heavy team. They go away from the ground game too quickly. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur should not go away from the running backs and instead needs to use it to lead the charge on offense.

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Problems in the Trenches

It was not a good day for the Broncos offensive line. Broncos starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was sacked twice before getting knocked out of the game before halftime. His replacement, Drew Lock, was sacked three times in the second half as he failed to lead the Broncos to the win. Overall, both quarterbacks were hit a total of 11 times and they both were generally under duress for most of the day.

This should not have come as a surprise, as the Broncos were without two starting guards against the Ravens. Left guard Dalton Risner missed the game due to a foot injury, and right guard Graham Glasgow missed the game due to a knee injury. This was the second game that Glasgow has missed as he was out in Week 3 due to an irregular heartbeat.

Rookie Quinn Meinerz and second-year pro Netani Muti struggled as replacements for Risner and Glasgow. Both are powerful players, but Shurmur did not create a game plan where that part of their game could be highlighted.

After the game, Fangio said there was more than one reason for their struggles in the trenches.

“I mean, it’s not just the sacks. I don’t like seeing them get hit either. We had too many breakdowns, both in just individual play — guys getting beat because of poor technique. On one or two occasions, it was we didn’t block the right guys,” Fangio said.

The team needs to get healthy up front. We could see the return of Risner this week, and that’s going to help the interior of the line. However, it’s the guys on the outside – Bolles and Massie – that need to improve their pass-blocking skills too. There was plenty of pressure up the gut and on the outside.

This was a breakdown of the full offensive line, and it’s something that needs to be cleaned up quickly – even if key starters continue to miss time – for the Broncos offense to get back on track.

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There is No Try

Special teams have been a problem for the Broncos for years. No matter what the team does, there always seems to be a breakdown in that unit at least once a game.

Most of the time, there is a big return had against the Broncos. Even the returns that do not go for a touchdown can still be damaging. A returner can flip the field and give his offense momentum to score even if he doesn’t get to pay dirt. It’s deflating for the Broncos, and this happens far too often.
Fangio said the team is trying to fix special teams.

“We seem to have one play a game that pulls it down. We had a good game going special teams-wise and then they break the punt return for a long gain that gives them the three points there at the half. That’s a good question — obviously one we have to fix. We’ve been trying,” Fangio said.

Do or do not, there is no try. The Broncos have spent (wasted?) far too much time trying to get this right. It’s past time for the results to actually change – not on most plays but on every play.

Call me pessimistic, but I don’t think this issue will be fixed this season. I can’t believe Tom McMahon kept his job after a disastrous 2020 season as the special teams coordinator. This year isn’t going much better. You don’t want anyone to lose their job, but enough is enough. The Broncos will have to make a change to special teams, likely starting with a new coach, next offseason.

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