clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

More of the same from the Denver Broncos

What can you say when it’s exactly what you said last season?

NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

As I watched Kansas City Chiefs backup quarterback Chad Henne flop into the end zone to put the exclamation mark on their 10th straight win over the Denver Broncos, for the first time in many years as a writer for Mile High Report, I was at a loss.

What could I possibly write that hasn’t already been said? Many of the problems that were highlighted on Sunday were problems that MHR covered last year. Rather than rephrase what’s already been said, I dove into last year’s Monday morning articles and let familiar complaints speak for themselves. Time may march on, but many of the issues with the Denver Broncos appear to remain consistent.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos - October 17, 2019 - Broncos lose, 6-30
Dear Broncos - WTF was that?

Dear Broncos -

What the f*** was that? No seriously, what was that? Because it couldn’t have been football. At least not “modern-day-NFL, everybody’s good” kind of football. No. No that was definitely something beside football. It was hot garbage.

Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs December 15, 2019 - Broncos lose, 3-23
In loss to Chiefs, glaring issues sink Broncos

Needless to say, there was a great deal to learn from in Sunday’s ugly loss to the Chiefs. Do you want to see how your team performs under pressure? Put them...in the snow. It was bad. It was awful. It was...unwatchable.

On offense, it’s fair to say that Drew Lock struggled.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos - September 29, 2019 - Broncos Lose, 24-26
The Denver Broncos have problems

Make no mistake, this year’s disaster in orange and blue has the ability to do great things. We have seen flashes of competency only to have it trounced by bumbling Broncos buffoonery. It feels like in every game this year, once the Broncos get things going, they are unable to sustain that momentum from drive-to-drive, quarter-to-quarter, and half-to-half. Ironically, it’s this inconsistency that has made them consistent losers in 2019.

The Broncos are not resilient. The moment [Drew Lock] threw that interception [in the beginning] of the 2nd quarter, the Broncos weren’t able to shake off that misfortune...Be it a turnover, a penalty, an unsuccessful drive, or something else, it’s as though the team expects to be defeated by these passing events and the prophecy self-fulfills. Until the Broncos can keep the little things from becoming catastrophic, this cycle of will repeat loss after loss after loss.

Denver Broncos @ Buffalo Bills - November 24, 2019 - Broncos lose, 3-20
Starting Drew Lock may be only option to quiet Mile High boo birds

Ever since the Denver Broncos began their steady decline following Super Bowl 50, Joe Ellis, John Elway, and everyone on down the line has talked about how losing won’t be tolerated in Denver.

Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts - October 28, 2019 - Broncos lose, 13-15
Denver Broncos: Fan irritation replaces fervor

We can talk about balls that inexplicably bounce off receivers’ hands in key moments, of which there were again too many...Perhaps we should discuss asinine offensive plays that, at their core, never had any prayer of moving the sticks.

The problems with Denver are many and, as fans, there’s nothing we can do but enjoy the ride as the Broncos explore both new and familiar ways to lose winnable football games.

Forget “death by inches,” this is death by bad football bludgeoning... and it’s still October.

To end on a positive note, I will say this:
For as awful as Denver looked on Sunday against the Chiefs (again), there was a common thread in each of these 2019 articles - the poor play of Garett Bolles. It would be unfair of me to end this article without praising Bolles for his growth this year over last. It was a comforting surprise having to skip over all that criticism when writing this.

Horse Tracks

Highlights: #KCvsDEN
Watch the highlights from the Broncos' 43-16 loss to the Chiefs.

Broncos' 10 straight losses to Chiefs include two subpar games from Drew Lock - Denver Broncos Blog- ESPN
Lock lost his second in a row to his hometown team as the Broncos were bullied by the Chiefs on a below-average day from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Chiefs continue dominance of Broncos with lopsided 43-16 win – The Denver Post
The weather conditions were frigid -- 14 degrees (wind chill of 1) at kickoff -- and so is the Chiefs-Broncos rivalry. Kansas City (5-1) made it 10 consecutive wins over the Broncos (2-4).

Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs NFL game story | 9news.com
Game story of the Denver Broncos' home game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, October, 25, 2020.

Joe Burrow on pace to break rookie record for passing yards - ProFootballTalk

Bill Belichick says Cam Newton's still the starter - ProFootballTalk

NFL, Buccaneers will be monitoring pending sexual assault lawsuit against Antonio Brown - ProFootballTalk

Notable injuries, news from Sunday's Week 7 games
Washington Football Team safety Landon Collins is believed to have suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports.

Mike McCarthy laments Cowboys' response to hit on Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton exited in the third quarter of Sunday's 25-3 loss to Washington after taking a shot to the head. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy took exception to the play, more so because none of his players confronted Bostic for the questionable blow.

Cleveland Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. out for game with knee injury
Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was ruled out for the Bengals game after injuring his left knee attempting to make a tackle on an interception return.

New Orleans Saints get win over Carolina Panthers despite being down top 2 WRs
The Saints managed to outlast the Panthers thanks to a game plan that came together early Friday morning due to the late scratches of wide receivers Michael Thomas (injury) and Emmanuel Sanders (COVID-19).

Frustration mounts for Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt after Houston Texans fall to 1-6
Quarterback Deshaun Watson and defensive end J.J. Watt couldn't hide their frustration Sunday after the Houston Texans fell to 1-6 with a 35-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo caps 'exciting week' with winning return to New England
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo made a winning return to New England on Sunday in his first trip back to play the Patriots since the 2017 trade that sent him to the San Francisco 49ers.

Cowboys' Andy Dalton leaves game after suffering illegal blow to the head by Washington defender - CBSSports.com
More brutal injury news for the Cowboys at quarterback, as Dalton was ruled out for the remainder of the game

LOOK: Todd Gurley costs Falcons by scoring TD after failing to stop his momentum, leads to wild Lions comeback - CBSSports.com
Gurley gave the Lions an opportunity to win the game by not going down short of the end zone

NFL Week 7 scores, highlights, updates, schedule: Justin Herbert continues to shred with another long TD - CBSSports.com
All the best highlights from Week 7 are right here

NFL trade deadline: Best fits for Bengals who want out, including A.J. Green and Carlos Dunlap - CBSSports.com
A look at where Cincinnati's disgruntled veterans could end up

Cam Newton benched after throwing three interceptions to 49ers, Jarrett Stidham replaces him - CBSSports.com
Bill Belichick put Cam Newton on the bench