You have to hand it to the Broncos, when they crash back to Earth it’s a massive wreck.
Actually, that’s just the initial reaction to Denver’s 23-3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but it might not be as bad as you think. If you were someone who told yourself that the Broncos had a chance to win that game, you might be the most disappointed of us all, but in reality, what happened was the most likely scenario.
I know. I predicted a much closer game, but I am not a weather forecaster. I didn’t know a mountain of snow was going to descend on Arrowhead. What I do know is that weather like that has one of two outcomes. It either plays the great equalizer for two teams that are somewhat close in talent, or it exacerbates the gap in talent between teams.
As I told Ian St. Clair on the MHR Radio Podcast, while the outcome was undeniably frustrating, it wasn’t something that should have been unexpected. The Broncos are a team with potential, and some raw talent, but the Chiefs are a complete team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Where to start? How about the unsure footing of the defense. Watching the secondary was like an old lady try to navigate an icy parking lot. It’s hard to play reactionary football in slippery conditions. Chris Harris Jr., who isn’t the fastest corner in the league, was unable to keep up with Tyreek Hill. How is that different from solid footing? It’s not.
Travis Kelce was the true issue for Denver’s defense. The snowy conditions played right into his hands. He exploited a cautious defensive scheme to the tune of 11 catches for 142 yards. It felt like every time Denver was about to get off the field he caught a pass that moved the sticks.
Even still, the defense held the Chiefs to just 23 points. Had the offense been able to get any traction the outcome would have looked much different. But we live in a world of ups and downs, and this was the day for a down in Broncos Country.
Let’s face it, the snow showed us all that Denver isn’t there yet. The Drew Lock Train derailed in the snow of Kansas City. Drewcember left a lump of coal in our stockings. After two solid performances the rookie showed up, and he made some rookie mistakes.
His first interception that was called back because of a penalty was a throw across the field. That’s a poor decision, and one he got away with because the Chiefs made a mistake. The very next play was the underthrown duck to Noah Fant in the end zone. Fant could only watch as he skidded to a stop and the ball was plucked out of the air by Juan Thornhill.
This was a difficult game to watch, but the big takeaway here is that your enthusiasm for the Broncos future should stay strong. There are pieces in place that the team can build on, and Lock looks like he could be a major part of that. Are there areas of concern? Without question, but in this loss to the Chiefs it wasn’t the sky falling, only the snow.
The best way to get the Drew Train back on the tracks? A home matchup against a bad Lions team could’t hurt.