Question: Some of the 5,231 fans at Mile High booed the Broncos off the field at halftime. Was it really that bad?
Answer: Let’s ask coach Vic Fangio. When told the offense was “so bad” in the first half, Fangio said: “You’re being nice by just saying, ‘so bad.’ It was worse than that.” The Broncos had two first downs … and five punts. The Broncos had eight rushing attempts … for two yards. And they trailed 14-3. So yes, it was really bad. The most alarming part was how the offense was playing without urgency, confidence or execution.
Q: The Broncos pointed to Phillip Lindsay’s 55-yard touchdown run, which cut the Chargers’ lead to 24-10, as a turning point. Agree?
A: I agree. Lindsay’s dash, the second-longest touchdown of his career, gave the B12 shot his sideline needed. The key parts of the play: Right guard Austin Schlottmann getting just enough of linebacker Kenneth Murray to allow Lindsay to cut outside. A downfield block by receiver DaeSean Hamilton on safety Rayshawn Jenkins. And cornerback Tevaughn Campbell taking a terrible angle.
Q: Drew Lock was 14-of-18 passing for 155 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. What did Lock show during the comeback?
A: 1. His right shoulder definitely looked healthier as he zipped some darts during the second half. 2. There is no way Lock should have been benched at halftime or after the first series of the third quarter. The only way for him to grow is from these kinds of experiences, when things aren’t going right. 3. He made several good decisions in terms of when to scramble, when to throw it away and when to dump it off. 4. The last play, when he rolled right and baited the Chargers’ defender to leave KJ Hamler, was well designed and executed. Lock showed a lot of good over the final five possessions (four touchdowns drives).
Q: The Broncos’ defense gave up 485 yards and 28 first downs to the Chargers, but Los Angeles finished the game with three field goals, one punt and two interceptions. How did the Broncos bend, but not break?
A: The Chargers went 2-of-7 on third down in the second half (5-of-9 in the first half). On the first field goal, the Chargers threw incomplete on three consecutive plays. The Chargers’ next two possessions were a punt and an end zone interception from cornerback Bryce Callahan (robbing the Chargers of a likely field goal). On the second field goal, the Broncos overcame Bradley Chubb’s face-mask penalty because of inside linebacker Alexander Johnson’s tackle for a four-yard loss. On the third field goal, inside linebacker Josey Jewell drew a 15-yard crackback block penalty on tight end Hunter Henry. Add it all up and those little moments had a big impact.
Q: During the winning drive, did one play before the touchdown stand out?
A: On third-and-5 from the Chargers’ 29, running back Melvin Gordon made a difficult one-handed catch and then grinded his way to the first-down marker. Had Gordon come up short, the Broncos would have used their final timeout to set up a fourth-down play. A huge play and replay review that went in the Broncos’ favor.
feeds.denverpost.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/4mVXPFMwNKI/Follow Tyler Tysdal Online
Check out the latest articles from Tyler Tysdal.Follow Tyler T. Tysdal on Twitter.com
Check out the biography for Tyler T. Tysdal on Crunchbase to see the companies he has managed.
Follow Tyler Tysdal on Linkedin.com
No comments:
Post a Comment