Can anything positive be taken from the Denver Broncos complete meltdown against the Las Vegas Raiders?

No.

A loss like this produces no winners. I won’t be celebrating garbage time touchdowns. I won’t be getting excited about any moral victories. The Broncos failed to show up against their most hated rival. They faltered on the day they honored the greatest coach in franchise history.

No winners today. Only losers. We aren’t doing moral victories anymore.

Losers

Vic Fangio

How do you get out-coached by a team that doesn’t have a coach? This was a complete failure. Across the board the team was bad. There is no other direction to point the finger than the head coach. Alumni week, honoring Mike Shanahan (the greates HC in Broncos history) at halftime, against the most hated rival in franchise history, and that is the product on the field. Utter embarrassment. And the defensive genius looks like the league has figure him out. Unprepared is an understatement.

Pat Shurmur

No need to worry about genius here. This guy is miles away from that title. Three weeks in a row, we get to endure watching ridiculous play calling from Shurmur. Not a lot went right for the offense. A lot of it falls on the execution by the players, but at some point, the coaches have to put their players in a position to succeed. Shurmur struggles with that.

Mike Munchak

The offensive line is bad. Maybe there are some injuries, but the best offensive line coach in the NFL needs to start being better at his job. Too many issues up front. And even with those issues, Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon averaged around 5 yards per carry. Still, Bridgewater was under duress the whole game. He was sacked 5 times, and hit 17. A lot of that is on the O-line.

The O-Line

Just read the section about Munchak. Be better at your job. If it’s injuries, and you can’t actually help the team win, sit down. Otherwise, be better.

Noah Fant

Sure, his stat line ended up looking good. Who cares? The penalties are unforgivable. He seems lost at times. He can’t keep being this version of himself. There is obviously talent here, but Fant is becoming the new Garett Bolles, killing drives with penalties.

Courtland Sutton

Two big drops. Opportunities lost. He ended up with a good stat line, too. Stats don’t matter when there are missed chances all over the field. Sutton is still not 100% back, and it shows, but he has to be better.

Tim Patrick

The incredible vanishing wide receiver. Again, solid stats, but Patrick disappeared in the second half. He looked like he was going to go off early on. Instead, he was a non-factor when it mattered most.

Teddy Bridgewater

With three interceptions and a fumble, it looked like the moment was too big for Teddy. All four Broncos turnovers were on his ledger. Yes, he was running for his life at times. Sure, he was given a game plan that wasn’t great. All I can see in my mind is a 4th down throw to a wide open Eric Saubert that sailed over his head. Talk about the perfect example of how the game went. He couldn’t execute when it mattered most.

The Secondary

If I singled out each guy, I would be writing all night. Let’s just say that as a unit, the Broncos secondary was bad. Justin Simmons is not what he was in 2020. None of the veterans played to the standard required. They were burned several times. Even Patrick Surtain II looked bad at times.

The Defensive Line

No push up front. Derek Carr looked very comfortable. Hard to win a game in the NFL when the opposing QB feels no pressure at all. And the Raiders may not have run the ball down their throat, but just like everyone else, when it mattered most, the D-line shrank.

I’m done. Let me know who I missed.