2020 Broncos' Season, Week 1

 


Week 1: Tennessee Titans 16, Denver Broncos 14
Season Record: 0-1 (0-1 Home)
Key Play: In the fourth quarter, with 17 seconds left, Stephen Gostkowski hit a 25-yard field goal to give the Titans a 16-14 lead. Gostkowski has previously missed three field goals and an extra point, so hitting the final kick was a bit of redemption.

Recap: Ah, new year, same old Broncos. The team struggled to score points, couldn't hold a lead and mis-managed the clock on the way to a two-point loss in the final 30 seconds of regulation. The Broncos were dealing with injuries. Von Miller is out for likely the season with an ankle injury that required surgery. Courtland Sutton hurt his shoulder and missed the game. And in the game, corner A.J. Bouye and running back Phillip Lindsay were injured in the first half and didn't play the second half. There were some good moments. Noah Fant looked great. Drew Lock had some good moments. The defense held the Titans offense in check for the most part, allowing some yards but also making stops. But rookie receiver Jerry Jeudy had two bad drops, possibly due to increased pressure, and Melvin Gordon fumbled deep in Broncos' territory, leading to a Titans' touchdown. So there was good and bad, and plenty to build on. The most disappointing was the last two minutes, particularly the time management. Coach Vic Fangio elected not to use any time outs, allowing the Titans to run the clock down to nearly the bitter end before a chip shot field goal to win. It's possible he thought Gostkowski would miss again, but it felt like a mistake to not even have enough time to give the Broncos' offense a chance to get into field goal range for Brandon McManus, who has one of the best legs in the business. So the Broncos are 0-1, including a loss at home, and now travel to play a tough Pittsburgh squad. Will they get some people back from injury? Hopefully. Otherwise, it could be a long season.

Game Balls:
* Noah Fant. The second-year tight end was a bright spot, catching five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. I think he could be a Top 10 TE this year, and he looks like the best TE we've had since Shannon Sharpe. I was encouraged by his play.
* Michael Ojemudia and Essang Bassey. The two rookie corners made their debut on Monday and looked solid. Both were pressed into playing a lot, and held up decently well in their first NFL snaps. 

Lingering Concerns:
* Team Health. The Broncos have a lot of injuries to key players and they need to get that corrected to be able to compete in a difficult division. They were the only AFC West Team not to win in Week 1.
* Offensive Development. It wasn't a bad start for Jeudy, there is plenty to build on. But the Broncos have the youngest offense in football at the skill positions, they need to get Lindsay and Sutton back on the field and produce more than 14 points in a game.

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