The Broncos’ 24-10 loss to the 49ers left little room for optimism, and Sam Jane’s postgame report card in the Denver Post made that plain. The offense took the sharpest hit, but the whole night was defined by a team that never really found a rhythm.
Offense - D
This was the easy call on the sheet. Denver’s attack has now gone four straight games without getting the ground game going, which makes the offseason focus on fixing it look even more glaring.
The Broncos finished with 296 total yards and averaged 4.6 yards per play, while Bo Nix got over 200 passing yards mostly by working underneath. Nearly everything he completed came on throws shorter than 10 yards.
The run game never gave Denver much of anything early. The Broncos had only nine rushing attempts in the first half and managed just 32 yards, and J.K.
Dobbins spent much of the afternoon on the sideline looking frustrated as the lanes disappeared. The second half brought 50 more rushing yards, and Denver’s best drive included several runs of more than six yards.
Being behind by two scores mattered, but it wasn’t the whole story.
Defense - B+
Even with both starting cornerbacks going down, Denver held one of the league’s top offenses to 358 yards. Christian McCaffrey was kept to 52 yards on 15 carries. Still, the Broncos surrendered a couple of damaging second-half plays, and the pass rush that helped define last season still hasn’t shown up in the same way.
Special Teams - B-
This grade may have been a little generous considering the Marvin Mims Jr. fumble that cracked open what had been a tight defensive game in the second half. Even so, Jeremy Crawshaw had a strong day punting, and Wil Lutz made two field goals. That said, the turnover was the decisive moment, and it was the kind of mistake that swung the game for Denver.
Coaching - C
Jane took issue with Sean Payton’s choice to kick a field goal on fourth-and-2 from the 49ers 22 with 14:08 left, though the call can be defended given how the offense was performing. The bigger issue was the overall stagnation on that side of the ball, which could have pushed this grade even lower.
In Other News...
Broncos Finally Get A Chance To Fix Whats Holding This Offense Back
The Broncos have spent the early part of the season fighting for answers on offense, and now they get a chance to make some progress against a Chargers team dealing with plenty of its own problems. Los Angeles is still looking for its first win, and the issues around Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniels system have made that side of the matchup far from clean. For Denver, it is the kind of opponent that can either provide a reset or expose how much work still remains.
After a stretch against stronger competition, the Broncos should see this as an opportunity to finally settle some of the things that have held the offense back. But a winless team can be a dangerous one if it is treated like a soft landing spot, especially in the AFC West where little margin exists for careless football. Denver does not just need the result, it needs proof that the offense can take advantage when the matchup is there. [Read more 🡒]
Marvin Mims' Costly Mistake Has Broncos Fans Asking About Accountability
Marvin Mims spent the aftermath of a rough outing doing what players are supposed to do after a mistake, even if the admission was uncomfortable. The Broncos wide receiver said he did not go back and review the film on the play where he fumbled, and he went so far as to call it possibly his worst NFL game. For a Denver offense still trying to find cleaner execution, the moment landed as another reminder of how thin the margin can be when a key touch turns into a turnover.
The larger conversation around accountability did not stop with Mims, either. Former Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw took aim at Sean Payton after the game, and Payton did not push back in his postgame availability, instead responding positively to Greenlaws comments. Meanwhile, across the division, Raiders coach Klint Kubiak was already talking about changing the approach around Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington, a sign that coaches on both sidelines are feeling the pressure to fix problems before they harden. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos May Need One Eagles Move Before The Trade Market Shifts
Philadelphias roster has already started to look different in the wake of the Cam Jurgens trade, and that kind of movement can reshape the market before the rest of the league catches up. The Eagles are dealing with a changing front as well, with Lane Johnson retired and the club sitting at 2-2, which makes any evaluation of their veteran talent more interesting for teams watching for an opening.
From Denvers side, the name worth tracking is Zack Baun, the inside linebacker who has recently earned both Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro recognition. His contract is considered movable, and if the Eagles decide to keep adjusting their roster, the Broncos could make sense as a team ready to act before trade talks around the league shift into a more crowded market. [Read more 🡒]