2019 Broncos' Season, Week 1


Week 1: Oakland Raiders 24, Broncos 16
Season Record: 0-1 (0-0 Home)
Key Play: In the fourth quarter, with the Raiders leading 14-6, Josh Jacobs capped a five-play, 60-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, to give the Raiders a 21-6 lead. The Broncos couldn't recover.

Recap: The picture above is emblematic of the Broncos' Week 1 performance, which featured plenty of missed opportunities. In it, DaeSean Hamilton was wide open in the end zone, and Joe Flacco delivered a ball on time and on target, and it simply bounced off his chest and slipped through his fingers. So, too, did an opportunity to start the season right on Monday night. The Broncos were out of it from the first drive, when the defense looked lost and confused as the Raiders marched down the field and scored on a touchdown pass to Tyrell Williams. It continued the whole game. We rarely heard the name Von Miller and Bradley Chubb mentioned, the offense looked mostly out of rhythm and the defense couldn't contain the Raiders' passing game, even without Antonio Brown. It was disappointing and concerning. But it was one game, and it's a long season. The Broncos can bounce back, and they need to bounce back quickly as Chicago and Khalil Mack come to town on Sunday. Let's hope the team finds a little spark and a little heart in its efforts moving forward. What we saw Monday was a flat, lifeless team. If that's the 2019 Broncos, it's going to be a long four months.

Game Balls:
* Courtland Sutton and Emmanuel Sanders
. The lone bright spots on offense were Sutton, who looked dominant at times in catching seven passes for 120 yards and Sanders, who caught five for 86 yards and a touchdown.
* Josey Jewell. The second-year linebacker was all over the field, doing his best and making 14 tackles, including seven solo tackles. He looks ready to grow as a starter in year two.

Lingering Concerns:
* Defensive woes.
The Broncos' defense has been the heart of the team the past few seasons, and it was logical to believe Vic Fangio would get the best out of the unit. We didn't see that Monday night.
* Special Teams. We didn't see much from the return game, but the coverage units were poor. The Broncos still have plenty of work to do.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Burial a courtroom drama with heart

Broncos Draft Targets

Favorite Westerns, No. 43