Highlights and lowlights of the Denver Broncos 23-10 loss to the New York Giants

The Denver Broncos lost a game they should have won. That’s that. Time to move on from the emotional aspect of losing to the previously 0-5 New York Giants.

In this post, we go through the highlights and the lowlights more out of the need to find the silver linings that give us some hope heading into the next week of football. There were definitely some highlights in this game and if the Broncos can fix the lowlights or at least limit them, then next week they could get back on track.

Let’s get the bad out of the way first... and those are harsh.

Broncos lowlights

Trevor Siemian. There are two situational areas where quarterbacks in the NFL keep their jobs. Playing well under pressure and playing well when you have plenty of time to throw the ball. Siemian can’t function under either.

According to Pro Football Focus, Siemian completed just two of nine passes while under pressure for 23 yards and an interception. But then when he had 2.6 seconds or more to throw, he went nine for 19 with two interceptions and a 42.3 passer rating.

It’s safe to say that Siemian is a broken quarterback right now and the Broncos need to address it. - Tim Lynch

Coaches. What in the F was that we witnessed? I haven't seen such piss poor coaching since John "take a knee" Fox. To say we were caught with our pants down is a disgrace to everyone who's ever been caught with their pants around their ankles. This was pathetic on multiple levels. Our offense Scored 3 points before the game was decided. The Giants defense out scored our offense. Our defense, our bread and butter of success, looked lost, confused, and lackluster. But at least they kinda showed up, which was more than I can say for McCoy's offensive unit which looked like a dress rehearsal for the 2020 lockout (i.e. scrub players).

I thought the reason why we got Vance Joseph was to prevent things like this from happening? All 3 coaches (Head, OC, DC) were garbage. Hot garbage on a muggy 100 degree sunny day. We need to be better prepared. And personally, I officially will never predict a Broncos win again when we're more than a 1 touchdown favorite. Because until proven otherwise, this coaching staff will have the team unprepared for what should be a cakewalk. - Pete Baron

Trevor Siemian. The regression is unacceptable. He couldn’t get past his first read most of the night. He was hurried and harassed, but even when he had time to throw, he struggled. He is never going to be able to put the team on his back and win a game. That is obvious by how poorly the Broncos perform when he throws it more than 35 times.

The pick 6 is a perfect example. As I said on the MHR Radio podcast, he couldn’t read the simple Cover 2, and threw right into a jumpable route. This experiment has to end now. There are quarterbacks sitting at home right now that have more skills and are better suited to play in the NFL than Siemian. - Adam Malnati

Run Defense. We entered the game with the league's best run defense facing a team that had been one of the worst running offenses for the first third of the season. Did I also mention that they were missing their most dynamic RB in Paul Perkins? So what did our vaunted run defense do? They allowed 148 rushing yards on 32 carries. 204 yards in the first for games and 148 in game 5. This was the cherry on top of the poop-Sundae that was this game. - Joe Mahoney

Trevor Siemian & the Coaches. It's a relatively uncommon thing for one team's defenders to publicly call out their opponents' quarterback for his bad play, but both Landon Collins and Janoris Jenkins pointed out major issues in Trevor Siemian's game, and the Giants exploited them too. In the Broncos' last three games, Siemian has thrown for 69 completions on 116 attempts for 814 yards, 2 TDs, & 4 Int. During the now infamous stretch of scoring 10-3-10 in Weeks 14-16 last year, Siemian completed 77 of 134 passes for 799 yards, 1 TD, & 2 Int. This is Trevor Siemian, playing as bad as we've ever seen him play, while he's both healthy & coming off of a bye. No excuses. I caught a good bit of grief for complaining about Siemian winning the job and for predicting that this was a 7 to 9 win team with him at QB. After the first couple weeks of the season, I ate crow. Now, it's looking like I might have been right and I'm no happier about it than any of you are.

Don't believe me? Look at the next month of the season: a divisional away game vs a Chargers team that's finally warming up, a divisional away game against the Chiefs, an away game against the Eagles, who are currently the top team in the NFC, and a home game vs a Patriots team that looks to be in the process of getting their house in order. If we play those games like we did Sunday night, we'll be 3-6 and in a full on tailspin. Look, I'm not actually predicting that doom and gloom. I'm just saying that the coaches absolutely must get their crap together and the leaders in the locker room need to freaking man up and hold themselves, each other, and all the rest of their teammates to a higher standard. And Trevor Siemian needs to play like the Weeks 1 & 2 version of him, not like the 2016 scrub Siemian we've been seeing for the past three games. - Taylor Kothe

Trevor Siemian. This experiment should have ended prior to the third preseason game last year. But as I said in the five things we learned, McCoy is the Black Knight from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Siemian has cut this offense’s arms and legs off leaving McCoy to say, “It’s just a flesh wound.” All opposing defenses need to do is load the box, ensure Denver can’t run the ball and force Siemian to beat them. News flash: He cannot and will not. - Ian St. Clair

Entitlement. As a father in today's society I can not tell you how much I absolutely hate the entitlement our society seems to embrace as a God given right to life today. Our team played like the only thing they needed to do was show up on the field and they would be handed a win from on high because heck, we have a great defense and we sure do love our QB! Starting with the coaches and going all the way down to our guys sitting on the bench, this team needs to be read the riot act. They did not show up to play at any level. - Sadaraine

Broncos highlights

Everyone lost. As bad as it was to watch our Broncos lay a stinker out there on national television, the rest of the major AFC West teams put up their own stinkers in the form of losses. Despite missing a golden opportunity to close the gap on the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos are no better and no worse off in the AFC West than they were on Saturday. However, the road to the AFC West crown just got a hell of a lot harder. - Tim Lynch

Derek Wolfe and DT. Both of them showed what it means to be a leader, and in completely different ways. Wolfe with his words after the game and Thomas with his play on the field. That’s a captain. That’s a leader. Compare that with the other offensive “captain” who continued to show no emotion, no fire, no passion even after he put forth a performance only Kyle Orton would love. Siemian has a rare ability to carry over the “derp” we see on the field to his news conferences. - Ian St. Clair

Demaryius Thomas. Demaryius Thomas continues to be one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL. His 10 catches for 133 yards were the only bright spot on an otherwise dreadful offense. Yes, he had a fumble, but he was the only guy on the field for the Broncos that was really able to find success. This was going up against the Giants Best corner in Janoris Jenkins. - Adam Malnati

Demaryius Thomas. Demaryius Thomas reminded me of the one shining light we had in Super Bowl 48. Sure, this game was meaningless in comparison, but the dude was on the field with a gimpy leg WILLING himself to play good football. I don't care about the stat line. I care that we have at least one guy on the team willing to fight for a victory. - Sadaraine

Who gets your highlight and lowlight for this game?