The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Greg Dulcich has saved the Broncos offense

Victory!

Oh, how sweet it feels for Broncos Country.

Denver needed that one in a big way. From the players, to the coaches, to the fans in the Mile High City, losing was getting extremely old. The Broncos snapped their four-game spiral on Sunday in London, topping the Jaguars 21-17. Now the team will get some time off and a bye week up next. With a 3-5 record, the season is still alive, even if it’s on life support.

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

The Good

All hail the hair.

That would be the lettuce of Denver tight end Greg Dulcich. When the rookie out of UCLA was activated off IR after missing the team’s first five games of the season, expectations were high. The tight end was going to be the missing ingredient for a struggling Broncos offense. That seemed like a lot to put on the kid, but so be it.

And you know what? The folks who proclaimed he’d make a big difference were right. Dulcich caught a touchdown in his debut against the Charger and was instrumental on Sunday to help the Broncos earn a much-needed win. Down 10-7 and in desperate need of points, Russell Wilson found Dulcich three times on one drive alone for an astonishing 78 yards. It was part of a 98-yard drive overall, in which Melvin Gordon scored a short TD to give Denver the lead.

Dulcich finished the afternoon in London (morning here), with four catches for 87 yards. He opened up the passing offense on multiple occasions and it’s clear he and Wilson have chemistry. A tight end was an afterthought for this group before Dulcich returned, now it’s a big part of what they can do well.

The Bad

Courtland Sutton, where have you gone? Not only did Wilson throw one interception when targeting Sutton against the Jaguars, but it should have been two. And those were on his first two passing attempts of the game.

Sutton just isn’t getting the separation right now or winning the 50/50 balls. He also had a bad drop at a crucial time. He finished the game with just one catch for 13 yards. After a hot start to the season, Sutton’s been pretty much a non-factor the last few weeks. That’s concerning, and you have to wonder if his surgically-repaired ACL is bothering him. Considering the injury happened all the way back in 2020, that wouldn’t be good, but we all know Sutton wasn’t the same guy in 2021.

Meanwhile, the running game was simply average at best versus Jacksonville. If it weren’t for touchdowns by Gordon and Latavius Murray, it definitely would have been bad. Gordon ran for just 3.2 yards per carry, while Murray checked in the tiniest bit better at 3.3 yards per carry. That needs to get fixed in the second half of the season if the Broncos have any shot at a miracle run toward a playoff berth.

The Ugly

Penalties, penalties, penalties.

How many times are we going to have to harp on this stupid stat? Denver committed another 12 penalties for 81 yards, as they continue to see all kinds of yellow flags tossed their way. It hit a new low in London when they received a delay of game on a kickoff. How in the world does that happen?

Captain Justin Simmons also had a bogus taunting call against him on one drive, but redemption was sweet after he picked off Trevor Lawrence in the end zone a few plays later. That interception may have saved Denver’s season, as it’s unlikely they were going to rally from a 14-0 deficit.

But still, even though head coach Nathaniel Hackett will be retained through the bye, he’s got to find a way to clean the penalties up. They’re inexcusable and must stop, but will be less spoken about after a much-needed win.

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