“The blame is all around” —Justin Simmons makes no excuses for another Broncos loss

Defensively, this was not Denver’s best game. It might’ve been their worst game this season, especially in the run game, and their performance came to a head during overtime when CB Pat Surtain II choked and was outplayed by Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams, who scored the 35-yard winning touchdown.

Now, let me be clear: Surtain has reminded us week after week how good of a decision it was to draft him. I have no doubt in my mind that it was the right decision, and a single game sure isn’t going to change that now.

Regarding what happened in those final moments of the game, Surtain explained, “I was driving on the cross end. He went on a double move. [I] should have kept my leverage, but [I] have to correct that.”

Free safety Justin Simmons was also asked about that play by Surtain, mainly whether any of the other veterans had given him a post-game pep talk about making mistakes and moving on from them. He emphasized that it wasn’t Surtain’s fault that the game was lost in the first place.

“First I’m not trying to be rude or anything, but I know how it can be,” he started, “One, it’s not his fault. This game is not on one guy, ever. There are 11 guys out there on the field, and we all have a responsibility, especially in overtime, to make a play, get off the field, and give our offense a chance to win the game—that’s first and foremost.”

He continued, explaining that no matter what is said to Surtain, it’s going to be a painful loss for him. “He’s a competitor. Regardless, of what anyone says to him, it’s going to sting and it’s going to hurt knowing that you could have made a few plays and you just fall short. But that’s part of the competitive nature.”

Simmons is not, however, defending their loss as a team (or any of their losses thus far). He is the first to point out that they’re 0-2 divisionally, and that losing “sucks,” with no other way to put it.

“It sucks. A big talk we have had recently is culture. As players, taking onus. It’s Year 7 for me, Coach Hackett is my fourth head coach and that is just wild to think about,” he shared, “There is so much turnover...we have a tight-knit group, but something is not going right, obviously.”

Simmons is trying to take notes from the last Super Bowl-winning Broncos team, but it’s not been an easy road for the Denver Broncos trying to live up to their full potential.

“At the end of the day, we don’t need anybody to feel bad. It is what it is. We are getting paid to win games, we are not winning games and that’s the end of the story,” he shared.

“We are pointing fingers. It is on myself, it’s on some of the guys that are leaders on the offense, and that’s okay with me because it is my job to figure that out.”