The final game of the 2020 season comes with all kinds of questions. Steve Atwater joined Ryan and Ben on Broncos Country Tonight to tackle a few of the issues facing Denver as they prepare to play the Raiders.
With the Broncos missing the playoffs, the only thing the Broncos can affect is where they pick in the draft. But for Steve, there is a lot more on the line.
The notion of losing for the players is not an option. Like Steve said, “You better leave it on the field or you’re gonna get hurt, or you’ll get your feelings hurt, or you are going to put something on the film you don’t want to be on film...”
It’s the only way for players to think, and far be it from me to contradict Steve Atwater, but from a franchise perspective, a win really doesn’t help the Broncos in the long run. Certainly, from the perspective of the guys on the field, losing is not an option. No one should expect the players to give less than full effort.
The conversation also turned to what the players need to do in this final game. With Melvin Gordon calling Drew Lock the final piece that will make or break the team, it’s apparent that the players know what they have, and what they need.
Steve’s perspective is that the Broncos need to improve in several areas. It’s not just Lock. Still, the most important position on the field is the QB. Looking past the Raiders and into 2021, nothing will matter if the QB play doesn’t improve. Gordon’s point was not to bash Lock, but to point out a universal football truth; as the QB goes, so goes the rest of the team.
The questions about Jerry Jeudy, issues with the running game, problems on special teams, all of it goes away with competent play from the QB.
Bonus Listen
Elijah Wilkinson joins Ryan and Ben to talk about the 2020 season, and his time on IR.