As NFL teams prepare to head into week eight, there’s one team that strives to bounce back after losing three of their last four games: The Denver Broncos. And although they’re currently 3-3 with 10 games left in the season, players agreed after an embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Chargers it’s time to get back on track.
Denver Broncos Recovery Process Begins After Embarrassing Loss
The Offensive Struggle
The recovery starts with their offense. For starters, Denver’s offense hasn’t really been seen as a commanding force on the field. In Sunday’s game against the Chargers Denver rushed for only 69 yards – their second lowest of this season. Trevor Siemian also passed for 182 yards, which still wasn’t enough to help them put points on the board.
Yes, it’s true, the Denver offense is missing an important element with Emmanuel Sanders out with an ankle injury, but one player couldn’t have made the difference in this game. The game was filled with turnovers, penalties, and lots of punts – eight to be exact – making it difficult for Denver to make plays and move the ball down the field. In fact, the offense was so inconsistent that the Broncos kicker, Brandon McManus, never even had a chance to kick a field goal.
The Uphill Battle
Moving forward, the Broncos hope that they can correct their mistakes in practice, believing that a successful week in practice will lead to a promising outcome on game day. Tactic coaches are using to keep their players focused and motivated.
Linebacker Von Miller, however, found it difficult to believe in that assumption. He stated that “It isn’t always just because you have a great week of practice and because you work hard that will get you success,” after suffering a 21-0 blowout to the Chargers.
Miller’s remarks came shortly after Denver’s head coach Vance Joseph commented on the team’s practice not going so well that particular week leading up to the game, presuming that’s why the team couldn’t put points on the board for the first time in 25 years. Whether or not that was Joseph’s way of putting the blame on the team, will never be known, but one thing is for sure, it’s not just one person’s fault here. “Commit to teamwork” was just one of 10 philosophies coaches like Vince Lombardi believed in. So if one person failed, they all failed; if one person was successful in making a play, they were all successful in making that play.
It’s on the quarterback, Siemian, to get the ball to his key players and avoid throwing interceptions; It’s on the front line blocking and making sure their quarterback isn’t getting sacked by defenders as soon as the ball touches his hands; It’s also on the guys up top calling the right plays and recognize certain formations. Being two for 12 in the red zone doesn’t happen by accident, it’s a sign that something’s not working.
To make matters worse, the Broncos have two away games against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles – top contenders in both conferences. This, however, can also be an opportunity for them to show their dominance and prove to fans, coaches, and commentators why they’re a team to be reckoned with.
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