Everything leading up to Sunday’s AFC West showdown offered hope to Broncos Country. Despite the absence of star wide receiver Keenan Allen and starting edge defender Joey Bosa, the Los Angeles Chargers managed to defeat the Denver Broncos for the first time since December 2018. The boys in orange and blue certainly had a number of chances to not only win the game but to put a nail in the coffin and sweep the Chargers for the second straight season. Marred by a handful of Jerry Jeudy drops and the continued inefficiency of the ‘bend-don’t-break’ approach to defense, the Broncos endured a narrow loss in one of the season’s most frustrating games.
Death by Jerry Jeudy Drops (Among Other Things)
Jerry Jeudy Drops the Ball
Ordinarily, it is at least arguable Drew Lock’s numbers are better than his performance. Against Los Angeles however, due largely in part to no less than five drops by rookie wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, Lock’s performance far outshined his numbers. He managed a measly 51.06 completion percentage on 264 yards with two interceptions, taking two sacks in the process.
In spite of these numbers, his first interception is more than reasonably attributable to DaeSean Hamilton failing to catch a ball that hit him in the palm of his hand and subsequently tipping it up to a defender. His second was on a desperation Hail Mary throw at the end of regulation.
Death by Inches or Death by Jerry Jeudy Drops?
Like DaeSean Hamilton had early in the first quarter, Jerry Jeudy failed to catch passes hitting him squarely in the hands on multiple occasions throughout the game. He earned a career-high 15 targets, but only secured six receptions for 61 yards. When keeping this disparity between targets and catches in mind, Jeudy’s efforts compare his hands to that of a digital clock.
Dropping a surefire touchdown on his fourth drop and failing to bring in multiple chunk plays that could have set up points to tie the game or take the lead, Jeudy’s performance forced a frustrated Broncos Country to suffer the heartburn of another division loss. It is surely interesting how a large percentage of Broncos Country demands patience for Jeudy after his demoralizing efforts but refuses to do the same for Drew Lock.
Jeudy’s performance is in the conversation for the worst individual effort by a Bronco this season, a conversation in which many, if not most, examples are attributed to Lock. While speculation helps nobody, it is not unreasonable to expect the Broncos would have won the game if not for Jeudy’s drops. That said, Jeudy drops were not the only factor contributing to the unnerving loss.
Broncos Defense Drops the Ball
Overall, the Broncos defense played decently. They held the Chargers to six points in the second half, outscoring them by 10 in the process. The pass rush was adequate, accruing two sacks and five tackles for loss on the way to holding Los Angeles to 89 rushing yards and 316 yards in total (63.8 fewer yards than their average per-game rate this season).
Despite these facts, the defense allowed the Chargers to burn over two-thirds of the remaining game clock after the offense tied the game in the fourth quarter. The first three plays of this final offensive drive for Los Angeles averaged 19 yards on the ground, burning just over a minute off of the clock in these plays alone. While the defense may have been more keen on stopping any passing efforts from the strong-armed Justin Herbert, the rookie quarterback did not even attempt a pass on the entire drive.
It is objectively necessary to take into account the context of the sheer volume of injuries at key positions on the defensive side of the football. With that said, a so-called defensive mastermind like Vic Fangio cannot allow his defense to drop the ball like this, especially in a game after the team has already been eliminated from playoff contention. With the sheer number of Jerry Jeudy drops in this game, the defense needed to step up when it counted most and they quite simply did not.
A game with as little pressure as this cannot contain this poor of a late-game defensive effort.
Brandon McManus Drops the Ball
Brandon McManus is perennially one of the most consistent kickers in the league. Unfortunately, his consistency has been lacking in the recent games surrounding his coronavirus-related absence in Week 15. While he is still an objective upgrade over Taylor Russolino, even on his worst day, McManus somehow managed to send two kicks off of the same upright on consecutive field goal attempts (even if only one of them actually counted).
Prior to Russolino’s (hopefully) only appearance for Denver, McManus also missed two extra points against the Carolina Panthers. Even in making two field goals from 50 or more yards, McManus’s earlier miss prevented the team from taking the lead on his field goal late in the fourth quarter. If not for Jerry Jeudy drops, the long-tenured kicker would have had more ample opportunities to kick points through the uprights, and more easily converted opportunities at the very least.
McManus’s shortcomings were easily the least detrimental to the team’s success of any that contributed to the demoralizing defeat. That does not mean, however, they were not detrimental. One of the most consistent and respected special teams players in Denver’s history will right his ship sooner than later, and if he cannot get on track against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17, he will have an entire off-season to regain his composure.
2020 Drops the Ball
From day one, the 2020 campaign was going to be a tumultuous one. Fans were encouraged to remain patient to no avail, and Broncos Country’s impatience has crept into the very pores of this young team. This has led to sideline strife, frustration on and off the field, and four straight losing seasons for the first time in franchise history.
There are seemingly endless examples of factors contributing to this rough patch in the team’s storied lifespan. Against Los Angeles, however, the number of factors is considerably fewer, allowing the issues at hand to compound and appear far more prominent in the grand scheme of things.
McManus will rediscover his mojo and return to his prior form sooner than later. The defense will either get it together and make a significant leap in 2021 when no less than five defensive starters return to the field. If this proves not to be the case, Vic Fangio will not return in 2022.
The Jerry Jeudy drops will decrease as time goes on. The rookie pass-catcher is far too talented to continue dropping passes at this rate. With the impending return of Courtland Sutton, it is not unreasonable to assume Jeudy will not only limit his drops but soon arrive in this league as one of the most lethal playmakers on offense.
The Last Word
All in all, the loss to Los Angeles is certainly frustrating, perhaps even more frustrating than the Jerry Jeudy drops, themselves. With that said, Broncos Country must remain patient. If the flashes of brilliance and success seen throughout this first true season of the rebuild are not enough to inspire patience, there is a problem.
The future is bright for this young team. Even if they drop the ball early on (or five times early on), this future will remain bright until it is no longer the future, but the present. With only one week remaining in the 2020 regular season, Denver has a chance to end on a high note before entering their first full off-season unimpeded by a pandemic or catastrophic injuries at every corner of the depth chart.
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