The Broncos talent shined in an up and down win

Setting aside the fact that yours truly predicted the Broncos would score 37 points against the Jets, Thursday Night Football gave us something else to celebrate. A win!

But before we get too carried away, it’s important to remember that the Denver Broncos are still far from contending for a playoff spot in the NFL. In fact, Vic Fangio’s team is still closer to the number one pick in the draft than even going .500.

That being said, winning on Thursday did one thing for Broncos Country that was sorely needed. It reminded us all of the amount of talent this team has. As Ian St. Clair and I discussed on the MHR Radio Postgame Recap, there is a ton of potential in Denver.

Going into the matchup against the Jets, it wouldn’t have been wrong for anyone to predict any outcome. These two teams are both bad, but one thing is certain, the arrow is pointing in the right direction in Denver.

Brett Rypien had a good game, if you can call a performance where he threw 3 interceptions (one a pick-6) good. It was serviceable, but his ability to put the team in a position to be successful was fun to watch. Just think about that block he threw that sprung Melvin Gordon to seal the win. It’s all you can ask of a young player who just wants to contribute.

And Rypien and Gordon weren’t the only bright spots. Tim Patrick had one of his best games as a Bronco. Jerry Jeudy demoralized Pierre Desir (who had a pretty good game, too). Bradley Chubb grabbed 2.5 sacks and was all over Sam Darnold for much of the game. Josey Jewell had two sacks as well.

It was an all around effort that allowed the Broncos to overcome Rypien’s 3 interceptions. Brandon McManus was able to convert field goals from Manhattan a couple times. He was perfect on the day.

Diontae Spencer almost took a punt to the house. Just needed to get past that pesky punter. It was a great run, regardless. It set the Broncos up with great field position, which allowed them to take a 27-16 lead on one of McManus’s field goals.

Now, I know the temptation will be to go overboard a little bit. Some of you are going to say really nice things about Brett Rypien. Say them. Just don’t think it means he has a shot at replacing Drew Lock. He may have held off Blake Bortles, but not Lock.

And in the end, this is what we want. We want to see the talent on the field, and hope that when Lock gets healthy he can be the guy who went 4-1 down the stretch in 2019. Not the guy who can’t stay healthy long enough to actually make an impact on the roster.