Mile High Report - Week 15: Bills 48, Broncos 19 - Everything we knowBy Fans, For Fans....Your Source For Denver Broncos News and Commenthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50905/mhr-fav.png2020-12-24T04:00:00-07:00http://www.milehighreport.com/rss/stream/219518682020-12-24T04:00:00-07:002020-12-24T04:00:00-07:00The Good, the Bad, and the Elway: Buffalo Blowout
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<figcaption>Lock and Lindsay both had tough days. | Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>What stood out in the Denver Broncos huge loss? </p> <div id="VDWAYe"><iframe frameborder="0" height="200" scrolling="no" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=VMP5676576245&light=true" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<p id="c3YnSx">Good teams beat bad teams badly. After a weekend where the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Bills</a> became the fourth playoff contender to win by 18+ over the 2020 Broncos, it’s fair to accept they are not a good team. Sifting through the wreckage of a 48-19 laugher doesn’t bring out a whole lot of new information, but you’ll find a few thoughts and musings below. </p>
<h2 id="xQoJKI"><strong>Offense</strong></h2>
<ul><li id="3x0maY">In a vacuum, Phillip Lindsay’s 11 carries for 38 yards against the Bills is not cause for alarm. Most of the offense struggled, after all, and three of Lindsay’s carries came when the score was 48-13 and the Broncos were just killing the final minute of clock. If you take out the three carries that “didn’t matter,” Lindsay had a respectable eight carries for 33 yards. </li></ul>
<p id="SiHH6E">What <em>is</em> concerning is that the Bills’ game is his best performance outside of the matchup with Miami since the last time Denver played L.A. It seems disingenuous to sweat his numbers when Kendall Hinton played, but Lindsay has averaged 2.44 yards per carry on 36 carries these last three weeks.</p>
<p id="4EQkNs">Over the same three week time frame, Melvin Gordon has 39 carries for 260 yards and two touchdowns to go with eight catches on nine targets for 54 yards and two touchdowns. With this big a sample size and the disparity between the two, it’s hard to lay the blame on the offensive line being the main culprit. </p>
<p id="6K1DIa">I need to go back over all the carries and see if defenses are more likely to run blitz when Lindsay’s in for Gordon, or if it’s situational usage, or something else entirely. After looking through the Bills carries that mattered (not the final three) I did notice they all came on first and 10 but one, which came on 2nd and 10. On three of the carries Lindsay gained less than three yards. Two occurred when the Bills’ defenders were even or outnumbered the Broncos blockers, and the third happened when Elijah Wilkinson was beat across his face on the backside of a gun-run. </p>
<p id="D1SY1o">I know Lindsay’s health is a concern as well, which begs the question: why isn’t Royce Freeman seeing more time?</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">If you take out Lindsay's last 3 carries that occurred when the Broncos were killing clock, he finished the Bills game with 8 carries for 33 yards. All came on 1st or 2nd and 10. <br><br>He had four plays with 4+ gains. <a href="https://t.co/40mNtYUTxY">pic.twitter.com/40mNtYUTxY</a></p>— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoRo_NFL/status/1341560359795253248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2020</a>
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<li id="sKihOZ">Elijah Wilkinson started at right tackle for a second consecutive week, which leads me to believe the Broncos’ coaching staff have an eye on trying to bring him back for 2021. Demar Dotson’s had a better season in totality, Wilkinson is 10 years younger and would make more sen$e as a backup behind Ja’Wuan James next season. Munchak may believe playing through pain early in the season hurt him more than was let on and that Wilk may still improve on what we’ve seen. </li>
<li id="UhhZ84">This isn’t groundbreaking by any means, but Drew Lock struggled against Buffalo. </li>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Drew Lock had all of one pass go for 15+ yards against the Bills. <a href="https://t.co/bXZINFEvjM">pic.twitter.com/bXZINFEvjM</a></p>— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoRo_NFL/status/1341451940589395971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2020</a>
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<p id="V27iJO">Leslie Frazier’s defense is a tough one to crack and profiles as the type of scheme Lock’s struggled with before. They do a great job disguising responsibilities. This puts pressure on the quarterback to make the right decision after the ball is snapped, which is something the “rookie” quarterback hasn’t had much success with when there’s no run action or motion to help him. Lock’s final box score numbers hide the fact that he had two turnover worthy plays. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Full transparency: I grade this as a pick. <a href="https://t.co/R0niOEjeE0">pic.twitter.com/R0niOEjeE0</a></p>— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoRo_NFL/status/1341153518892281856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2020</a>
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<p id="SPP6Pv">On the play above the Broncos are facing a 3rd and 7 at the 33 yard line, so if Taylor Russolino wasn’t just an <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/xfl-football">XFL</a> kicker, they’re right around field goal range. The Broncos keep six in to block. Because the back stays in, Buffalo will send a backer. I believe Royce Freeman is moved from next to Lock’s left to his right because it means Tremaine Edwards will have a longer path when he blitzes. </p>
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<p id="6iEHPw">As far as the receivers, Shurmur brought out 11 personnel in a Trips Bunch set to the right with Noah Fant on the nub to the backside. On the snap Tim Patrick runs a whip route while K.J. Hamler occupies the safety. Jeudy’s running an out past the sticks, but Levi Wallace sees it and stays with him. </p>
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<figcaption>Lock gets to the top of his drop as Jeudy is working off his stem. </figcaption>
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<p id="Kzu1n7">Thanks to the protection, Lock has a clean pocket to let it rip. Wallace is closing the distance on Jeudy as the receiver looks back to his quarterback. The ball will need to arrive in a hurry. </p>
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<figcaption>Jeudy turns to find the ball as Lock winds up. </figcaption>
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<p id="NS3fqi">The still frame is a bit blurry, but the result is clear: Wallace closed the distance on Jeudy and dropped a pick six going the other direction.</p>
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<figcaption>You hate to see it. </figcaption>
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<p id="t6wXG4">Near the beginning of the fourth quarter down 38-13, the Broncos passed on 1st and 10 following a 14-yard run by Gordon. Lock hit Tim Patrick for negative two before he was sacked by Ed Oliver on 2nd and 12. The back to back negative plays led to a third and 22, the kind of obvious passing situations the Broncos’ coaching staff has done a good job avoiding the last two weeks. </p>
<p id="oemZZz">The Broncos faced just four 3rd and 9 or longer situations in the Kansas City and Carolina games. On these plays Lock took a knee to seal the win over the Panthers, scrambled for eight yards once, and completed two passes for six yards. The Broncos wound up in five 3rd and 9+ situations against the Bills. Lock took one sack, scrambled for three yards once, and threw three incompletions. The worst of them had me scratching my head until I spoke with<a href="http://www.blitzology.com/"> Coach Vaughn</a> about it. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bill playing situational football on 3rd&22. Coverage presents as 2high MOFO, possible Tampa concept w/ ILB aligned deep. 3 Buzz concept w/ almost no rotation by Safety to hook or post. Deep Hook players deny benders inside. C-F player hangs in seam breaking late. Thread <a href="https://t.co/DtNQYDWYRb">pic.twitter.com/DtNQYDWYRb</a></p>— Blitzology (@blitzologyblog) <a href="https://twitter.com/blitzologyblog/status/1340728048413499392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2020</a>
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<p id="CgMzui">It’s not as if players like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers haven’t also had issues with this coverage. Brady threw a pick into it earlier this year. Third and very long is a really tough situation for any quarterback and the best possible outcome is probably taking a check down to the running back or if the receivers set up a 50-50 situation and the QB avoids throwing the ball short and inside. Where I take issue with Lock’s play above is he either didn’t see the slot breaking on Jeudy late, or thought he could gun the ball past him. Both are problematic. </p>
<ul><li id="bn7yiR">Regardless of where you land on Drew Lock right now, he has two more games to flip the narrative before the offseason. At present, I consider his games against the Panthers, <a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Texans</a>, and Lions his best performances. In the <a href="https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/">Chargers</a> and Raiders, he has two iffy defenses he’s studied and performed against before. Both should be statement games to close his second season. </li></ul>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/xNSktSEqP4">pic.twitter.com/xNSktSEqP4</a></p>— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoRo_NFL/status/1341437135744888835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2020</a>
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<h2 id="33oDKW"><strong>Defense</strong></h2>
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<li id="IbvZ9j">I came into this game really concerned about how the Broncos secondary would hold up. If you read my pre-game post, you already know the cornerback situation was a huge issue. Fangio came into the game with just three members of the secondary who had played more than 17% of the defensive snaps and lost one when Michael Ojemudia got himself ejected. So it should come as no surprise the Bills went pass happy and just ripped apart the coverages. Going into the 4th quarter with the score 38-13, the Bills running backs had all of 11 carries. Allen finished the day with <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641777&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnews%2Fnfl-2020-week-15-pff-refocused-buffalo-bills-48-denver-broncos-19&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.milehighreport.com%2F2020%2F12%2F24%2F22194258%2Fgood-bad-and-elway-buffalo-blowout" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">14 10+ yard passes across his 40 attempts. </a>
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<li id="weBeGc">If you zoom in enough from the overall performance, there were a few nice plays by OJ, DeVante Bausby, and Will Parks. The Broncos new(?) slot corner had an awesome hit when he blew up a screen in the first half. Bausby continues to show nice click and close and his length is an asset when he has to disrupt the catch point. I thought the rookie had a really nice play isolated on Stefon Diggs, though it helped his cause that Malik Reed got pressure on Josh Allen. </li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">On 3rd and 6 the Bills isolate Stefon Diggs on Michael Ojemudia. Malik Reed almost rips the ball out before it falls incomplete. <a href="https://t.co/kneh9dcGOt">pic.twitter.com/kneh9dcGOt</a></p>— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoRo_NFL/status/1341196726435270658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2020</a>
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<h2 id="YvbAIS"><strong>Your Broncos’ News</strong></h2>
<h4 id="qwDb9y"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/23/22196643/how-did-drew-lock-do-buffalo-bills">Denver Broncos: How did Drew Lock do against the Buffalo Bills? - Mile High Report</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="8QtPVM">He told us last week on Something Something Broncos that when he watched his first tape on Lock after his play during the <a href="https://www.thefalcoholic.com/">Atlanta Falcons</a> game he was hugely concerned. Lock was missing basic concepts quarterbacks learn in high school, but has seen incredible improvement over his game in the last month and that should have us feeling good about things.</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="5LmknY"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/23/22196665/broncos-bills-no-bull-review">Denver Broncos vs Buffalo Bills: The No Bull Review - Mile High Report</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="LN0DlT">The Denver Broncos got handled by a superior NFL team in the Buffalo Bills. Here are my thoughts, opinions, and analysis on the Denver Broncos’ most recent game.</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="NLgBBE"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/23/22197101/broncos-country-draft-flight-of-fancy">A Denver Broncos Country draft flight of fancy - Mile High Report</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="qVvNoZ">How much would you give up for the rights to draft Trevor Lawrence?</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="Kxt3g1"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/23/22197416/broncos-at-chargers-preview-week-16">Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers preview: NFL Week 16 - Mile High Report</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="hyyrQ9">What’s the key to beating LA?</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="JPVgpn"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/23/22197482/atwater-broncos-must-get-pressure-on-qb-to-help-out-the-depleted-secondary">Atwater: Broncos must get pressure on QB to help out the depleted secondary - Mile High Report</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="VPKIJa">“When you blitz and bring pressure, the corners, the safeties, the guys on man-to-man can squat on routes and get a jump to make some plays,” he said. “But when guys have to cover for five, six, seven seconds, anything is possible for the offense - especially with an accurate quarterback like Josh Allen this week and Justin Herbert next week.”</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="4YeHh1"><a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2020/12/23/22195862/denver-broncos-offseason-drew-lock-john-elway">The Broncos Have Big Questions to Answer This Offseason - The Ringer</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="Oet49a">While Allen—who attended Wyoming, just 130 miles north of Denver—has established himself as Buffalo’s franchise quarterback, the Broncos don’t seem to have theirs. Drew Lock, the former Missouri passer whom Denver selected in the second round of the 2019 draft, has had an inconsistent 2020, his first year as a full-time starter. Lock led the Broncos to a 4-1 mark to finish last season, but he’s struggled this year, highlighted by a seven-game stretch in which he turned the ball over at least once in each game.</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="S2RSCa"><a href="https://thednvr.com/heres-what-will-help-jerry-jeudy-and-k-j-hamler-reach-their-potential/">Here’s the one thing that will help Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler reach their potential</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="iTRRJt">Drops have been an issue, but experience has shown Vic Fangio that K.J. Hamler and Jerry Jeudy can fix that glitch.</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="E85NuC"><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641777&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnews%2Fnfl-grading-all-32-first-round-picks-week-15-2020-nfl-season&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.milehighreport.com%2F2020%2F12%2F24%2F22194258%2Fgood-bad-and-elway-buffalo-blowout" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Grading all 32 first-round picks after Week 15 of the 2020 NFL season | NFL News, Rankings and Statistics | PFF</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="GUItab">PICK NO. 15: WR JERRY JEUDY, DENVER BRONCOS 2020 overall grade: 65.6 For much of the year, Jeudy has been let down by his quarterback play, but he repaid the favor in part this week by letting an excellent Drew Lock pass sail through his hands as he braced for an incoming hit from a defender. To Jeudy’s credit, he went some way toward making amends later with a tough catch in traffic, but that was his only catch of the game, leaving him with minimal impact from the five targets sent his way. Jeudy’s route running is already elite, but drops and a relative disinclination to catch the ball in heavy traffic have been issues he can control (as opposed to those he can’t, like the guy throwing him the football).</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="sNbw0e"><a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2923469-matt-millers-scouting-notebook-latest-2021-nfl-mock-draft-and-more">Matt Miller’s Scouting Notebook: Latest 2021 NFL Mock Draft and More | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="rsWOsM">13. Denver Broncos: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com">Notre Dame</a> When you have to deal with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in your division, it’s a good idea to draft a rangy linebacker who can cover tight ends, chase down running backs and even pull the chain as a blitzer when needed. Owusu-Koramoah is the best three-down linebacker in the draft and will be an instant impact player.</p></blockquote>
<h2 id="oOyISz"><strong>NFL News</strong></h2>
<h4 id="2Nf8GT"><a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/debrief-previewing-movers-and-shakers-in-2021-qb-market">Debrief: Previewing movers and shakers in 2021 QB market</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="C0P06L">This week, I’m using the Debrief to take an early look at which quarterbacks are likely to hit free agency, which big names could be traded and which teams will be in the market at the position.</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="YBJhu4"><a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/12/23/derek-carr-up-to-full-participation-at-raiders-practice/">Derek Carr up to full participation at Raiders practice - ProFootballTalk</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="TzuClE">Carr was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. He was limited by the groin injury that knocked him out of the team’s Week 15 loss to the Chargers and word was that he’d miss 10-14 days, but the practice workloads suggest he’s moving toward a return to action.</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="E00WgL"><a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/12/23/dwayne-haskins-accepts-punishment-promises-to-take-advantage-of-second-chance/">Dwayne Haskins accepts punishment, promises to take advantage of second chance - ProFootballTalk</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="0mFQBB">The second-year quarterback clarified a “misconception” that he was at a strip club Sunday night. Haskins said he attended a private birthday party with his girlfriend. Regardless, photos posted on social media show him without a mask at a gathering of (he admits) more than 10 people in violation of the league’s COVID-19 protocols.</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="jYEDaq"><a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/12/23/dwayne-haskins-apologizes-to-team-fined-40000-stripped-of-captaincy/">Dwayne Haskins apologizes to team, fined $40,000, stripped of captaincy - ProFootballTalk</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="uoNUcH">Haskins’ teammates had voted him a team captain during camp. All 32 starting quarterbacks on opening day wore the C on their jerseys. Haskins no longer will. The team also fined Haskins $40,000, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. Rapoport added that it’s the “largest known fine for a player for a COVID-19 violation — more than half of Haskins’ weekly paycheck.”</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="tz3EQF"><a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/12/23/dwayne-haskins-taking-first-string-reps-at-washington-football-team-practice/">Dwayne Haskins taking first-string reps at Washington Football Team practice - ProFootballTalk</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="yfryyS">Apparently high risk only matters if you wear orange and blue.</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="rG2AwU"><a href="https://www.riversmccown.com/2020/12/23/ranking-the-17-biggest-mistakes-of-the-bill-obrien-jack-easterby-administration/">Ranking the 17 biggest mistakes of the Bill O’Brien/Jack Easterby administration - riversmccown.com</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="HwROYg">Without Roby, the Texans look absolutely and completely lost. He was not a terrific-graded player or anything like that this season, but he was often just stapled to the best receiver on the field. He’s not an A+ corner. He’s a B+ corner who was pushed into a role above his weight class. The contract itself wasn’t onerous, and the PED suspension wasn’t something anybody could foresee at the time. Now, is he here next year? I’m not sure. But if he’s not here, the Texans are going to have a hell of a time replacing him. It’s good to have lines about things that players can’t cross, it’s good to want your guys in the building … but at some point you have to actually accumulate talent. The Texans don’t have enough of it. And outside of Roby, the current cornerback roster is depleted.</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="pV6zrW"><a href="https://www.rotoworld.com/article/qb-klassroom/qbklassroom-ohio-state-qb-justin-fields-vs-nw">QBKlassRoom: Ohio State QB Justin Fields vs NW - Fantasy Columns</a></h4>
<blockquote><p id="avra1K">Six weeks ago, Ohio State’s Justin Fields was the clear QB2 for the 2021 draft class. North Dakota State’s Trey Lance was still a dark horse favorite for some and the hype train for <a href="https://www.vanquishthefoe.com">BYU</a>’s Zach Wilson was gaining steam, but for the most part, everyone had it: Trevor Lawrence, Fields, then everyone else. After last weekend’s game against <a href="https://www.insidenu.com">Northwestern</a> in the Big Ten championship game, that may no longer be the case. </p></blockquote>
https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/24/22194258/good-bad-and-elway-buffalo-blowoutJust_JoRo2020-12-23T07:00:00-07:002020-12-23T07:00:00-07:00Broncos vs Bills: The No Bull Review
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<img alt="NFL: DEC 19 Bills at Broncos" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/21y6NW-Vt8xGVQA9Y4areEi8bX8=/0x0:4887x3258/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68571766/1230241633.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Denver Broncos got handled by a superior NFL team in the Buffalo Bills. Here are my thoughts, opinions, and analysis on the Denver Broncos’ most recent game.</p> <p id="FppvNN">There are contenders in the NFL (the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a>) and there are pretenders (the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a>). When teams that have it together face teams that don’t, bad things happen as we saw this week.</p>
<p id="RrbztV">Our defense and its banged-up secondary got dunked on.</p>
<p id="vFSIBH">Our offense and its joke of a QB couldn’t keep up in any way, shape, or form. The result is a 48-19 drubbing that sadly wasn’t as close as the score indicated.</p>
<h1 id="YSA2Tq">Defense</h1>
<p id="n0J1Gz">Vic Fangio is doing what he can with shoe string and bubblegum at cornerback and the Bills decided to show the world exactly how much the Broncos are lacking at cornerback. We’re starting a rookie who should be best served as our nickel corner or at best covering the #2 WR. We have a guy who’s probably a #5 cornerback that should be maybe seeing the field 1-3 snaps per game across from him. </p>
<p id="gQoMnc">I’d like to say it was a valiant effort, but those seem like meaningless words to this Broncos fan. Honestly, I’m not sure what team could have a situation like our defense and make something competent happen against a really good quarterback.</p>
<h2 id="zr3leq">Front 7</h2>
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<cite>Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="uOnxkq">Jeremiah Attaochu kept hustling to get a strip sack. It was mostly due to great coverage, but credit to him for eventually beating the tackle. </p>
<p id="wmUgH6">Bradley Chubb you would think would be thriving in this situation late in the season with young guys being productive in the pass rush, but he barely got one hit on the quarterback in this game. </p>
<h2 id="E6lD99">Secondary</h2>
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<img alt="NFL “u2013 CAROLINA PANTHERS VS. DENVER BRONCOS" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GS8mfIMfuXnZZK3JZFyNVVaY55w=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22192373/1291087056.jpg">
<cite>Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="HtWJL0">Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson both seemed to be doing their best to tighten down the hatches for this defense with them both in the top 4 tacklers of the game (I’m going to point out again that it is bad to have a safety lead the team in tackles...where you at ILBs???).</p>
<p id="FSjUUk">De’Vante Bausby spent the vast majority of the game getting straight-up picked on, picked apart, and outplayed. He’s a decent enough guy to be at the back end of your roster, but this game for sure showed me that he’s not got the stuff to be a starter.</p>
<h1 id="uZHlQn">Offense</h1>
<p id="Rp1vYr">As much as we wanted reality to be the well-called, well-executed game that Pat Shurmer and the Broncos offense showed last week against the hapless Panthers, Broncos Country instead got to watch yet another craptastic show of incompetence from its offense.</p>
<p id="b7dtWC">The sad part is that the insight I can give you as a take-away from the game is that Shurmer and the Broncos are protecting Lock right now with how they are calling the game. As the lead grew, nothing much was done to push Lock into trying to make anything happen. Instead, we had run calls and simple throws 10 yards and in.</p>
<p id="JFGsnF">My question here is that if Lock is really the future, why aren’t we letting him let it all hang out when we’re down by more than 2 scores?</p>
<h2 id="LbNwUu">Quarterbacks</h2>
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<img alt="Buffalo Bills v Denver Broncos" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/30ehgexWvZw7Jmm234H8wsRYCsA=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22192367/1292160841.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="LYVgoN">I honestly almost get as excited about Drew Lock tucking the ball and running out of bounds as I do him completing a contested pass. On 2nd and long he ran out with a 2 yard gain when every one of his options rolling left had at least 2 guys covering them. That’s all I have for positives on his play in this game.</p>
<p id="QMF8y8">Lock was inaccurate on short throws yet again. He takes so long to read plays as they develop that it leads to sacks, closed windows, and stagnation in the passing game. He had two throws that absolutely should have been picked off because he’s throwing into excellent coverage. </p>
<h2 id="9UGYwL">Line</h2>
<p id="Otk9uX">For the first touchdown of the game by the Broncos, you love to see the offensive line owning up front to get Gordon the open scoring lane. We pulled a guard to blow up the linebacker and the whole left side of the line got it done. Honestly, I’m going to point out again that this line is playing much better than it started the season. The offensive ineptitude isn’t something that I mostly link to the line play (which I would have in many of the early games from this season).</p>
<h2 id="t4uSyR">Running Backs</h2>
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<img alt="NFL: Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oLE38EBf996ST5h_74-KXs7VGfI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22192364/usa_today_15337104.jpg">
<cite>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<p id="cGgbLL">Melvin Gordon Jr. continues to show that he’s the best running back on the Broncos team without a doubt. His power and ability to make guys miss make him the right back for this fledgling offense. </p>
<p id="mXTBQV">Phillip Lindsay at least showed up with a 3.5 ypc average in this game. Something still looks amiss with him to me...he’s either lacking explosiveness or teams just have gotten the read on how to play him.</p>
<h2 id="Q24dY9">Receivers</h2>
<p id="xdyhTY">I’m not sure what we’re supposed to talk about with our receivers when the quarterback is so poor at his job. Noah Fant was the leading receiver which is not a bad idea at all. But the production just wasn’t there. The longest passes we got to receivers were 19 yards by Jerry Jeudy, 16 yards by Noah Fant, and 10 yards by Tim Patrick. No one topped 100 yards receiving and outside of Jeudy and Fant, all other receivers averaged 5 yards or less per pass.</p>
<h1 id="2Lpjlm">Special Teams</h1>
<p id="q5hHdL">Sam Martin is a good punter. That’s where we are at this season, ladies and gentlemen.</p>
<p id="r0tilV">Did anyone else miss Brandon McManus? I sure did. I’m still scratching my head on why he wasn’t allowed to play this week.</p>
<h1 id="at1DPG">Final Thoughts</h1>
<p id="Xt70U6">The Broncos hopefully look better in the final two games of the season. They are playing average to below-average defenses so we have hope for some decent football left in the year. Like most out there, my focus will be to see overall what Lock has to show us and whether or not the Broncos are going to put him in a position to grow or keep choosing to protect him and not have to look for a quarterback again this offseason.</p>
https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/23/22196665/broncos-bills-no-bull-reviewsadaraine2020-12-23T06:00:00-07:002020-12-23T06:00:00-07:00How did Drew Lock do against the Buffalo Bills?
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<figcaption>Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Let’s find out how Drew Lock did against the Buffalo Bills. Did he take a huge step back or was it a mixed bag?</p> <p id="0Jtp2n">When it comes to breaking down Drew Lock and his progress, the least biased mind out there right now might be Tim Jenkins. He was essentially unaffiliated with the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a>, the fan base, or Drew Lock, but since his company Jenkins Elite is Colorado-based he kind of arrived on the scene midseason as the questions and concerns around Drew Lock really began to come to a head. h</p>
<p id="lklKZ3">He told us last week on Something Something Broncos that when he watched his first tape on Lock after his play during the <a href="https://www.thefalcoholic.com/">Atlanta Falcons</a> game he was hugely concerned. Lock was missing basic concepts quarterbacks learn in high school, but has seen incredible improvement over his game in the last month and that should have us feeling good about things.</p>
<div id="0ThkpN"><iframe height="200" width="100%" src="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1248-broncos-country-tonight-47478560/episode/12-21-20-tim-jenkins-with-ryan-and-75456183/?embed=true&cid=oembed&keyid%25255B0%25255D=Broncos%252520Country%252520Tonight&keyid%25255B1%25255D=12-21-20%252520Tim%252520Jenkins%252520with%252520Ryan%252520and%252520Ben%252520-%252520Broncos%252520Country%252520Tonight&sc=podcast_episode_widget&ihrnetwork=true" allow="autoplay" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>
<p id="YHfgBJ">That all culminated with Lock’s career performance against the <a href="https://www.catscratchreader.com/">Carolina Panthers</a>, but then the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> blew them out 48-19 on Saturday. Our friends Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright over at <em>Broncos Country Tonight</em> had Jenkins <a href="https://koanewsradio.iheart.com/featured/broncos-country-tonight/content/2020-12-21-jenkins-elite-qb-whisperer-tim-jenkins-on-broncos-country-tonight/">on their show Monday night to talk Drew Lock</a> and his play against the Bills to answer whether or not he had a bad game.</p>
<p id="sxsWvo">The biggest message from their show is that fans need to be patient and let Drew Lock continue to progress. Jenkins is pretty convinced that Lock is trending in the right direction and that we’ll start liking what we see from him as he gets more and more experience playing.</p>
<p id="tqEZ6W">Jenkins also broke down Lock’s play during the Bills game this week on his YouTube channel. </p>
<div id="OzPE8N"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TyS65NoQxFA?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media; accelerometer; clipboard-write; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="xoCqpz">The answer was yes, Lock took a step back. However, Jenkins is convinced he is seeing enough progression and growth from the young quarterback to caution patience as he works at it. </p>
<p id="davdX3">My only worry is that we’re pulling for a journeyman serviceable backup type career quarterback than a 10 year NFL starter. The 2021 season might be when we’ll all know for sure where Drew Lock’s career arc is headed. </p>
<div id="h4Ok43"><div data-anthem-component="poll:10249491"></div></div>
https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/23/22196643/how-did-drew-lock-do-buffalo-billsTim Lynch2020-12-20T12:12:51-07:002020-12-20T12:12:51-07:00Broncos can’t ‘fabricate’ enough offense or defense to stave off a true contender
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<img alt="NFL: DEC 19 Bills at Broncos" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ql_ghKIirb7LGkpNuAirqgkamm8=/344x0:2721x1585/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68556915/1230220804.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Bills embarrass Broncos with 48-19 shellacking.</p> <p id="RudEh3">Without meaning to, Noah Fant gave the quote of the season in his post-game presser.</p>
<p id="I7gWnB">“That’s the golden question,” he said about <em>what went wrong</em> in the second half. </p>
<p id="Ea3mMc">But that wasn’t his golden quote. It came in the next sentence.</p>
<p id="gUvz2Y">“Like you said, we had momentum going into the second half, had a great two-minute drive to score to put us down by one score and we weren’t able to fabricate that into momentum in the second half.”</p>
<p id="TTLwGz">If I had to guess, he meant to say “replicate” or “duplicate” the momentum from the first half into momentum for the second half.</p>
<p id="NeoTK0">But in retrospect, “fabricate” is a much better word.</p>
<blockquote><p id="C5Fo3N"><em>Fabricate: “1. to invent or concoct (something), typically with deceitful intent. Similar: fake, concoct, falsify.”</em></p></blockquote>
<p id="o7LeeR">What the Broncos were doing on the field in the first half was exactly that - trying to invent a contender with deceitful intent, concoct an alternate reality where its young offense and depleted defense could somehow compete with the real deal on the other side of the field.</p>
<p id="JESpfL">It wasn’t malicious fabrication, yet still an attempt to get away with false evidence, maybe hoping for a couple lucky breaks and a rare opportunity for a big play. But as often happens with fabrications, the truth was eventually exposed. </p>
<p id="pj23hn">And in the second half, a defense missing five starters that has played way above its pay grade much of the season just could not defend against an air raid by Josh Allen and the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Bills</a>. And a Broncos offense that has at times shown glimpses of magic just couldn’t find that rabbit anywhere.</p>
<p id="yuozho">“Very disappointing,” said head coach Vic Fangio. “I thought offensively, we had a pretty good first half. We had a chance if we made the field goal and extra points to have 17 points and you’re looking at a tight game. Then in the second half, particularly in the third quarter and early in the fourth, we couldn’t get anything going offensively. And while that’s going on, defensively we were struggling to stop them.” </p>
<p id="gaovIE">Struggling is an understatement. The Bills produced 541 yards of offense while 349 of those came from Allen’s arm and equaled two touchdowns, no interceptions and just one sack.</p>
<p id="oO6bYY">“They were throwing it, their passing game was getting us, with the quarterback in the pocket, we had a hard getting close to him and covering him,” Fangio said. “They had the long kickoff return too to start the second half, so it was a total team disappointing performance in the second half. Give Buffalo credit, they are a really good football team, they have a great quarterback, they have a great group of receivers and they play good defense, and that’s why they are 11-3.”</p>
<div id="L0WCWo">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A close game at the break turned into a lopsided loss for the <a href="https://twitter.com/Broncos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Broncos</a>.<br><br>Fangio: "We just didn’t play well. The entire team, all three phases.” <a href="https://t.co/dFZSKrEnWI">pic.twitter.com/dFZSKrEnWI</a></p>— Phil Milani (@philmilani) <a href="https://twitter.com/philmilani/status/1340505887891329025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2020</a>
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<p id="XpDmqT">Devin Singletary’s 51-yard run for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage at the end of the fourth quarter summed up everything about the game - disappointing.</p>
<p id="o8GC94">“A lot of things went wrong there,” Fangio said of the entire second half. “The kick return, the sack-fumble that got returned for a touchdown. We just didn’t play well. The entire team, all three phases.”</p>
<p id="skoAUA">Lock, who threw for only 132 yards and had three sacks, was “obviously very upset” with himself after the sack-fumble. </p>
<p id="JsIVqd">“I just stepped up, kept my eyes downfield and didn’t necessarily feel it from behind. I should have. ...I should have just [gotten] out of the pocket and just ran,” he said, noting that he felt very good going into the second half of the game after leading a touchdown drive just before halftime. “That was a big drive for us to show that we can move the ball extremely well and when you come back out, mistakes here and there. They’re a good team and they jumped on it.”</p>
<div id="jL8BvQ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Scoop ✅<br>Show off the MOVES ✅<br>Score ✅<br><br>Jerry Hughes with a BIG-TIME fumble return for SIX!<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BUFvsDEN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BUFvsDEN</a> on NFL Network <a href="https://t.co/LJEKB24w1N">pic.twitter.com/LJEKB24w1N</a></p>— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1340442084344414209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2020</a>
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<p id="rpTnUX">The “here and there” mistakes seemed to come one after another until the game just unraveled, but Lock doesn’t look at the game as a “step back” in his progression as a starting quarterback - more like just a bad game to learn from along the way.</p>
<p id="E2xbvr">“It was definitely a bad day. It was not a good day for us,” Lock said. “I wouldn’t say that any of us are feeling in a way that we’re taking a step back, but that was not a good day for us, by any means and our job is to figure out why it wasn’t, what we did wrong, what we could have done better and go from there.”</p>
<p id="ep2D5o">The defense, which has been the unit holding the team in games most of the time, just couldn’t seem to hold on any longer. Justin Simmons noted the frustration in the entire locker room over the letdown performance.</p>
<p id="BuFedC">“The locker room at the end of the game was how you would expect it to be. It was just very disappointing to see the outcome of how the whole game went,” he said.</p>
<p id="DS4RbQ">Simmons, who had just six tackles for his game stats, said they knew they didn’t play their best football the first half and came out in the second half with the intent to stop Allen.</p>
<p id="vp1m1J">“We knew how important it was going to be to come out and get a stop, and we just didn’t do it,” he said, noting the “trickle effect” of so many difficulties in the game - playing a great offense, being down corners, not getting any breaks on spots, being on the field a lot. “It’s not a lack of effort and want-to. Guys want-to, it’s just that much more amped up. They’re a great team. They do what they do really well. We just needed to find something, and we couldn’t do it.”</p>
<div id="KpIWBl">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">JOSH ALLEN DOES IT HIMSELF ♂️ <br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BUFvsDEN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BUFvsDEN</a> on NFL Network <a href="https://t.co/KNfDnuH8wt">pic.twitter.com/KNfDnuH8wt</a></p>— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1340421459852754944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2020</a>
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<p id="6YtjzQ">Josey Jewell described it as the defense trying too hard at times, trying to make up for what they had already lost.</p>
<p id="eS8NE5">“It’s just real rough. Everybody wants to play better; everybody wants to do their job and today it wasn’t what we wanted,” he said, noting the inconsistency of good and poor playing. “I think the biggest thing is consistency and everybody needs do their job and not try to do too much, it’s not good. I think almost everybody was trying to do too much in certain times—trying to maybe make up for something else. ...Coach is smart, he makes the right play calls and we just need to stick to that and try to stop trying to do too many things.”</p>
<p id="cAIopM">Simmons liked that assessment.</p>
<p id="wwl7vq">“It’s just frustrating. I heard Josey explain it. With just so much going on, you have guys compensating and trying to make up for areas that they shouldn’t make up on. That’s just the thing that happens. You get caught up in the flow of the game and how things are going and what you’re seeing, and you’ve got to ultimately just play to your job. It’s just tough. There are a lot of times we beat ourselves up, speaking defensively, but they’re a great offensive team. I think everyone knows that. We had our work cut out for us and we just didn’t make enough of the plays we should of.”</p>
<p id="JQQuQG">At the end of the day, there were <em>a few</em> Broncos highlights - a special teams fumble recovery, a sack from Jeremiah Attaochu, a great catch by Jerry Jeudy, a touchdown run from Melvin Gordon and a beautiful touchdown pass to Fant in the back corner of the end zone.</p>
<p id="DgOsdh">“Honestly, much of that is attributed to Drew. He did a great job of scanning the field, looking down field, looking for open receivers and he was able to connect with me,” Fant said. “He just did a great job of reading where the open guy was and delivering the ball. Especially that throw he had to me in the middle of the field, a little crossing route, great throw by him and across the body and the whole thing so I think that was a really good job on his part.”</p>
<div id="4wzQTK">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewLock23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrewLock23</a> ➡️ <a href="https://twitter.com/nrfant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nrfant</a> connection <br><br> :NFLN <a href="https://t.co/ACw9qAQ21I">pic.twitter.com/ACw9qAQ21I</a></p>— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) <a href="https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1340433632721162240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2020</a>
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<p id="sVNOb2">Fant had two other good words about the loss - upset...but also motivated.</p>
<p id="2vcxP9">“Obviously we don’t want to be losing. I know guys are not going out in the games to lose and things like that. We have to get wins on the board. That’s what it comes down to,” he said, adding that not getting those wins is definitely frustrating, especially for the young players who haven’t experienced a winning season yet. “None of us like to lose and I know we got competitors on this team and a big nucleus of young guys that are going to fight and get this thing turned around.”</p>
<p id="o0rRCs">Excuses are for losers, and as Simmons pointed out, there are no injury or covid asterisks next to the Broncos’ record this season - just numbers of wins versus numbers of losses.</p>
<p id="qw2tLL">But the Broncos team playing the Bills on Saturday was always going to need to have its very best game plus some good breaks to compete with a team taking aim at a <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a> bid.</p>
<p id="ttmSzN">So it bears reading the second definition to “fabricate” as well:</p>
<blockquote><p id="iRoyXd">Fabricate: “2. construct or manufacture something (especially an industrial product), especially from prepared components. Similar: build, construct, manufacture.”</p></blockquote>
<p id="hIeXYR">Taking the season as a whole, this is what the Broncos are really trying to <em>fabricate -</em> preparing and building to be a future contender.</p>
<p id="RAlP1q"></p>
https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/20/22191537/broncos-cant-fabricate-enough-offense-or-defense-to-stave-off-a-true-contenderLaurie Lattimore-Volkmann2020-12-20T04:00:00-07:002020-12-20T04:00:00-07:00Which half will Broncos Country cling to?
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<img alt="NFL: Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iHIc7PLLgZiksutWTq-oV7CtmDo=/219x0:2640x1614/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68555522/usa_today_15335803.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Is it the good of the first half or the fugly of the second half?</p> <div id="bgiiSQ">
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<h2 id="qXg74j">Good morning, Broncos Country!</h2>
<p id="oGHfrq">I have to say, the best part about that <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a> beat down at the hands of the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> was that I didn’t have to watch it.</p>
<p id="cU2YP0">Hang on. I know what happened. I’m not thrilled either. I’m just not as mad as Ian St. Clair was on the MHR Radio Podcast. The 48-19 flogging will have that effect on people. Fortunately, I really only got to see the first half. So, for me, it was a fairly close 21-13 affair. </p>
<p id="wX0snZ">I know that the end result was bad. The offense was inept in the second half. The defense played like they had a bunch of third and fourth stringers on the field. Probably because they did. Anyone who was subjected to that horror show would walk away with pessimism oozing out of their ear holes.</p>
<p id="L8Fl3A">I, on the other hand, left before the bloodbath began. And because of that, I actually don’t think it was that bad. Not the final score. That was horrendous. But watching Drew Lock in the first half was pretty OK. Not a ringing endorsement, but better than it could have been. </p>
<p id="AdqwZ9">The Broncos scored two touchdowns in the second quarter. They could have had a 3-0 lead if Brandon McManus hadn’t been held out of the game because of his negative COVID-19 tests (it’s complicated). Lock’s TD pass to Noah Fant was a thing of beauty.</p>
<p id="xDD6ad">Sure, a little luck played into one of their scores, but you have to take advantage of mistakes. They did, and it resulted in another Melvin Gordon TD. A muffed punt gave them great field position, and Lock and the offense capitalized.</p>
<p id="3BSCbu">At the end of the second quarter, the Broncos went 75 yards in just under 2 minutes. Lock connected with Fant, a couple of times. He hit Gordon a couple times. He found Jerry Jeudy for 19 yards with 18 seconds left. With the ball on the 6-yard line, Lock put the ball in the perfect spot, and Fant came down with a great catch in the end zone.</p>
<p id="vQFTce">The Broncos missed the extra point, but it was a great way to finish out the first half. Lock is getting better. You can see a future where the weapons on offense carry the team. It’s not leaps and bounds, but the improvement is there.</p>
<p id="zi6eM2">Sure, I got in the car after that and wasn’t subjected to the second half. But do I have to be negative? Nope. I saw some positive stuff. In the end, it’s more likely that the Broncos will go into 2021 with few changes. Hopefully, they can be more of that first half team, and none of that second half team. </p>
<p id="Dbc3uv">Time will tell.</p>
<h3 id="SCxzgb">Broncos News </h3>
<p id="ikLHM8"><a href="https://www.playcolorado.com/colorado-sports-bettors-table-tennis/">Colorado Sports Bettors (Still) Have A Crush On Table Tennis</a><br>We knew the Broncos would dominate the sports betting market in Colorado. But table tennis? Experts and bettors alike explain how Russian table tennis has become a betting phenomenon in Colorado. Is the sport here for good?</p>
<p id="lGK50C"><a href="https://www.playcolorado.com/josh-allen-impact-on-colorado-sports-betting/">What Impact Has Josh Allen Had On Colorado Sports Betting?</a><br>The success of Josh Allen not only brings a sense of pride to Wyo fans, but also an interesting twist to sports betting in Colorado.</p>
<p id="n4HfXG"><a href="https://www.9news.com/article/sports/nfl/denver-broncos/mike-klis/denver-broncos-vs-buffalo-bills-nfl-game-story/73-37183ab9-83b3-4b08-ac69-3106c2c07caa">Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills NFL game story | 9news.com</a><br>Game story from the Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills NFL game at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, December 19, 2020.</p>
<p id="JpSTfo"><a href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/sports/broncos/oh-my-josh-bills-allen-befuddles-broncos-in-rout">Oh my Josh. Bills' Allen befuddles Broncos in rout</a><br>The Broncos elected not to take Josh Allen in the 2018 draft. The former Wyoming star made sure they did not forget in on Saturday, putting on a show in the Bills' rout.</p>
<p id="EtGjlY"><a href="https://www.espn.com/blog/denver-broncos/post/_/id/37516/routed-by-bills-broncos-drew-lock-running-out-of-time">Routed by Bills, Broncos' Drew Lock running out of time - Denver Broncos- ESPN</a><br>Lock has more to prove than ever in the final two games of the Broncos' season.</p>
<p id="wlAYoH"><a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30557802/buffalo-bills-cruise-denver-broncos-en-route-their-first-afc-east-championship-1995">Buffalo Bills cruise past Denver Broncos en route to their first AFC East championship since 1995</a><br>Josh Allen again authored a masterful performance on Saturday, as the Buffalo Bills defeated the Denver Broncos en route to the AFC East division title.</p>
<h3 id="JrnGCu">NFL News </h3>
<p id="zTbUtC"><a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30555121/baltimore-ravens-cb-marcus-peters-fined-125k-spitting-incident">Baltimore Ravens CB Marcus Peters fined $12.5K over spitting incident</a><br>Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters has been fined $12,500 by the league for unsportsmanlike conduct after appearing to spit at Jarvis Landry as the Browns wide receiver walked away in their game Monday night.</p>
<p id="R0rLLb"><a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30554746/new-orleans-saints-wr-michael-thomas-put-injured-reserve-sources-say">New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas put on injured reserve</a><br>Saints receiver Michael Thomas, who has been dealing with an ankle injury since Week 1, has been put on injured reserve and must miss three games. He is expected to be 100% for the postseason, sources told ESPN.</p>
<p id="csqlAh"><a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/12/19/if-jim-harbaugh-returns-to-nfl-will-he-sign-colin-kaepernick/">If Jim Harbaugh returns to NFL, will he sign Colin Kaepernick? - ProFootballTalk</a><br>When we reported earlier this month that former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was eyeing a potential return to the NFL and that multiple teams were doing their homework on him, some shouted that he has a three-year extension to stay in Michigan.</p>
<p id="SuCNmw"><a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/heres-how-jerry-rice-responded-to-randy-moss-claim-that-hes-the-best-receiver-in-nfl-history/">Here's how Jerry Rice responded to Randy Moss' claim that he's the best receiver in NFL history - CBSSports.com</a><br>Rice has a strong claim to the GOAT throne</p>
<p id="pRZMbH"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/sports/football/washington-nfl-daniel-snyder.html">Fight for Washington N.F.L. Team Could Tighten Snyder's Grip on It - The New York Times</a><br>Washington’s owner, Daniel Snyder, is working to buy out three minority partners, including one he has accused of running a smear campaign against him.</p>
<p id="RYaei4"><a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-bold-predictions-week-15-washington-d-shuts-down-seahawks">NFL bold predictions, Week 15: Washington D shuts down Seahawks</a><br>Can Washington's defense continue its hot streak against Seattle? Will Derrick Henry build off last week's 200-yard effort? NFL Network analysts make bold predictions for Week 15 of the 2020 NFL season.</p>
https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/20/22191370/which-half-broncos-vs-bills-will-broncos-country-cling-toAdam Malnati2020-12-19T18:30:20-07:002020-12-19T18:30:20-07:003 winners (that many?), 7 losers from the Broncos latest embarrassing loss
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<img alt="Buffalo Bills v Denver Broncos" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AHotKzsVpB0pYpQi8rYLx7X4l8Y=/0x0:2999x1999/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68554795/1292164895.0.jpg" />
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<p>At least the Broncos have a good punter. It pretty much says it all when your punter is the player of the game.</p> <div id="Jc3x3J">
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<p id="Fq1ut4">As Scotty Payne said on Twitter, we’ll always have the <a href="https://www.catscratchreader.com/">Carolina Panthers</a> game. </p>
<p id="jRwRQV">What makes Saturday’s 48-19 loss to the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> (11-3) even more infuriating is how far the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a> (5-9)have fallen and how far they have to go to get back. But when it comes to the Broncos of the last four seasons, it’s just another painful reminder.</p>
<p id="m7uKpk">There was a time in which this type of flogging, at this point in the season, would cost people their job. But it doesn’t seem the franchise cares.</p>
<p id="8BWLLd">At least we got this out of the way and can have the rest of our weekend. </p>
<p id="atZ6eE">Per the usual, I’m bound to forget someone, leave them off or put them in the wrong category, so please mention them in the comments.</p>
<h2 id="tfot6b">Winners </h2>
<h3 id="7losb8">Sam Martin </h3>
<p id="HA7jQ5">As I joked on Twitter, at least Denver has a good punter. It pretty much says it all when your punter is the player of the game and his punts are the plays of the game. Martin had two punts downed inside the 5-yard line and another one muffed. Speaking of which ... </p>
<h3 id="rzZicy">Jacob Bobenmoyer </h3>
<p id="46KbUo">I never thought I would put a long snapper on the winners list, but welcome to the 2020 Broncos. Bobenmoyer recovered a fumble. </p>
<h3 id="wWqtWi">Melvin Gordon </h3>
<p id="PPaskJ">I hesitate to put anyone else on the winners list, but Denver’s running back did have two touchdowns. </p>
<h2 id="N4SR8r">Losers </h2>
<h3 id="oVb5Px">Drew Lock </h3>
<p id="2St4H8">For as well as he played against the Panthers, Lock was bad against the Bills. It’s not a surprise that Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense torched the Broncos defense, especially with the injuries in the secondary. Denver needed Lock and the offense to keep up. It failed. Lock failed. And can he please protect the football? Lock must play better in the final two games of the season. He finished 20-for-32 passing for 132 yards and one touchdown. </p>
<h3 id="MnJqpM">The Broncos defense </h3>
<p id="fjvuwy">As noted above, it’s not a surprise the Broncos got lit up like a Christmas tree, but it doesn’t make it any less embarrassing. Holy smokes, 534 yards allowed and 48 points? Yikes.</p>
<h3 id="fX8JsL">Vic Fangio </h3>
<p id="e92vFG">Double yikes. Can add in his coaching staff for an honorable mention. </p>
<h3 id="4tQX2T">The Broncos </h3>
<p id="94UjjD">In terms of embarrassments for this once-proud franchise, this is the latest. There are so many from the last four years, I’ve lost count. </p>
<h3 id="7PdXRM">John Elway </h3>
<p id="ZG8gWD">At some point, someone must be held accountable. Head coaches. Offensive coordinators. Coaching staffs. Quarterbacks. One thing is consistent the last four years. </p>
<h3 id="bTLH8C">Joe Ellis </h3>
<p id="7fgeMt">Bueller? Bueller? </p>
<h3 id="Hait6G">Broncos Country </h3>
<p id="OUxitb">It really does seem anger from the fan base has transformed to apathy. That happens when the franchise you root for doesn’t seem to care and doesn’t hold anyone accountable. Pat Bowlen would have never accepted this. Ever. Let alone for four-straight years. At this point, it’s not a matter of when, but if anything will change with the Broncos. I get the patience aspect, but the fans and franchise have been patient for four years. This is now four-straight losing seasons. You have to go back to the 1960s and early ‘70s for this kind of futility. We’re also on five-straight years of not making the playoffs. That. Is. Unacceptable. Where’s the evidence to show this is the right path? </p>
https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22191103/broncos-bills-winners-losers-week-15Ian St. Clair2020-12-19T17:50:53-07:002020-12-19T17:50:53-07:00Broncos have terrible day in 48-19 blowout loss to Bills
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<img alt="Buffalo Bills v Denver Broncos" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fEPzBO_kwgg9sT1EQe4tEtpTWLA=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68554670/1292163396.0.jpg" />
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<p>The Denver Broncos were completely dominated in the second half as the Buffalo Bills expanding a 21-13 halftime lead to a 48-19 blowout win.</p> <p id="wdZN1S">A tale of two halves in this game. </p>
<p id="6BHrWV">In the first half, the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a> hung tough with the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a>. If not for a missed field goal and extra point, the score could have been 21-17 at the break. Instead it was 21-13, but with Denver scoring a touchdown just before halftime it seemed they might have some momentum in the second half. </p>
<p id="C17ibR">That was not the case. Josh Allen and the Bills exploded in the second half. They couldn’t be stopped and couldn’t stop scoring. When it was all said and done, the Bills were 11-3 and the Broncos 5-9 after this 48-19 drubbing.</p>
<h2 id="6U6yun">First Quarter</h2>
<p id="dsPWzK">Denver started off good driving down the field to start the game, but the NFL forced the Broncos to play without Brandon McManus in this game as he entered day six of testing negative for COVID-19 after a close contact a week ago. His replacement, Taylor Russolino, went wide right on his field goal attempt that would have given Denver an early lead.</p>
<p id="MYHk1i">The Bills would follow it up with a clock eating 13-play, 59 yard touchdown drive to take a 7-0 first quarter lead.</p>
<p id="SYwgn2"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190796/bills-broncos-first-quarter-recap">Full first quarter recap</a>.</p>
<h2 id="CrsvlE">Second Quarter</h2>
<p id="KrpVeG">After falling down two scores early in the second quarter, the Broncos special teams came up big after a three and out by Drew Lock and the offense. They recovered a muffed punt and gave the Broncos offense a second chance to put points on the board. </p>
<p id="TTj9In">They did exactly that with this 10 yard touchdown run by Melvin Gordon on a third and eight.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gordon got the Broncos six, but I suspect Lock could have had a touchdown here. <a href="https://t.co/PThb52uldQ">pic.twitter.com/PThb52uldQ</a></p>— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoRo_NFL/status/1340424186217590788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2020</a>
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<p id="j3svos">Josh Allen then led the Bills on a long scoring drive to answer the Denver score. Despite a heavily penalized drive and faced with a first and goal from the 30 yard line, Allen needed just two plays to fire in a touchdown strike from 21 yards out to put the Bills back up by two touchdowns.</p>
<p id="BKK55h">With less than two minutes to go in the half, Lock methodically drove the Broncos down the field with four consecutive short passes to get them out to midfield. A roughing the passer call got them into field goal range, then Lock found Jerry Jeudy who made a great catch at the Bills six yard line.</p>
<p id="FPNPEF">One play later, the Broncos cut the lead back to one score. The new kicker missed the extra point, however, so Denver would be down 21-13 at halftime.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">If you started Noah Fant last week... look away <a href="https://t.co/TC50bXoYp3">pic.twitter.com/TC50bXoYp3</a></p>— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF_Fantasy/status/1340433601507291137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2020</a>
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<p id="RPbgSY"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190797/bills-broncos-second-quarter-recap">Full second quarter recap</a>.</p>
<h2 id="yFiikV">Third Quarter</h2>
<p id="oTLtZ2">The Bills asserted their dominance over the Broncos all third quarter long as they come out and score back to back touchdowns to take a 35-13 lead midway through the quarter. The Broncos defense did catch a break on the Bills third drive as they held on fourth down inside the five yard line to keep the score from getting really bad on them.</p>
<p id="gnjI1P">Even so, the Bills would add another field goal late to extend their lead to 38-13 as the Broncos offense and defense had been unable to do much of anything in the second half. </p>
<p id="N4YlXn"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190799/bills-broncos-third-quarter-recap">Full third quarter recap</a>.</p>
<h2 id="u2XdDL">Fourth Quarter</h2>
<p id="jLIiPd">The blowout continued into the fourth quarter as Drew Lock and the offense could find no way to produce any kind of offensive drives in the second half. Meanwhile, Josh Allen was simply unstoppable. </p>
<p id="L0D6gE">It would be hard to believe that the score was 21-13 at one point. At 5-9, the Broncos head to Los Angeles to take on the <a href="https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/">Chargers</a> in Week 16. </p>
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https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190800/broncos-bills-final-scoreTim Lynch2020-12-19T17:11:40-07:002020-12-19T17:11:40-07:00Week 15: Bills at Broncos - Live updates
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<p>The Denver Broncos face their toughest remaining opponent of the year in the Buffalo Bills. They’ll need to play perfect to come out on top. </p> <p id="XKVcar">They are not quite touchdown underdogs at home today, but the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a> are still heavy underdogs to the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a>. They’ll need to stop Josh Allen and score points to come out on top in this one.</p>
<h3 id="xbJu4D">In-game updates</h3>
<aside id="X4MhNG"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Broncos-Bills gameday inactives: Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay will play","url":"https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190616/broncos-bills-inactives-week-15"},{"title":"Bills at Broncos first quarter recap","url":"https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190796/bills-broncos-first-quarter-recap"},{"title":"Bills at Broncos second quarter recap","url":"https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190797/bills-broncos-second-quarter-recap"},{"title":"Bills at Broncos third quarter recap","url":"https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190799/bills-broncos-third-quarter-recap"},{"title":"Broncos have terrible day in 48-19 blowout loss to Bills","url":"https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190800/broncos-bills-final-score"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="TmVGjX">Game preview</h3>
<p id="rpdZtv">It’s a windy day in the Mile High City, which could impact both the passing game and the kicking game for both teams. That should play into the hands of the Broncos here who will likely be looking to run the ball more anyway and with such a depleted secondary it would be good for their defense if the Bills kept things on the ground more.</p>
<p id="gnuvXr">At 5-8, a strong finish to the season would go a long way to help focus attention on the continuing rebuild. Drew Lock has steadily improved over the last several weeks after a horrendous start and could prove to everyone that he is ready to take the next step in 2021. </p>
<h3 id="aSwBsk"><a href="https://twitter.com/i/lists/94061706">Broncos-Bills live updates</a></h3>
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<li id="khmYiJ"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22189771/broncos-bills-online-stream-live">Game info</a></li>
<li id="rcnpQ6"><a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/17/22187827/bills-broncos-recap-preview-week-15">Everything we know</a></li>
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https://www.milehighreport.com/2020/12/19/22190761/bills-broncos-live-updatesTim Lynch