Denver Broncos: Offense looks horrible in first half vs. Raiders
The Denver Broncos’ offense looked absolutely horrendous in the first half against Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders.
While some individuals did not play horribly, the Denver Broncos collectively looked really bad in the first half of their week two matchup against Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders.
The Raiders hold a 12- lead after two quarters of play.
The offense led the way in terms of just looking lost, confused, and completely inept with four punts and an interception on their first five drives of the half.
The defense allowed a field goal on Oakland’s first drive, and the Broncos’ offense went three-and-out on their first drive of the game. The ensuing Oakland possession, Von Miller sacked and stripped Derek Carr deep in Oakland territory. The ball was recovered by Domata Peko, but the Broncos’ defense (Todd Davis, to be specific) was called for holding.
Instead of the Broncos taking over in the red zone, the Raiders had the ball with another first down.
The Broncos’ best offensive ‘drive’ included a huge burst up the middle from Phillip Lindsay for 53 yards, the longest run by a Broncos player since Justin Forsett.
Who would have ever guessed that?
Lindsay’s run was ultimately meaningless as Case Keenum threw an interception near the end zone with the Broncos threatening to score for the first time in the game.
This was an embarrassing half of football from Denver on its home field.
Important Notes
Von Miller did in fact notch his first official sack of the game after having one called back from defensive holding. That sack was officially his fourth of the young NFL season.
Domata Peko has been playing an excellent game both against the run and defending against screen passes. He’s flying around the field and looks fresh, even compared to last week.
The Broncos gave up two 20-yard pass plays to Raiders tight end Jared Cook. The Denver defense continues to struggle with not only covering tight ends but also giving up big plays. It’s hard to blame them, however, with the offense playing as poorly as they have been.
Emmanuel Sanders was not targeted in the first half. He did participate in a hook-and-lateral play on the last play in the half, but he was not targeted once. Not that the Broncos had the ball a ton, but this is a huge oversight for Bill Musgrave.
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The Broncos had 11 net passing yards in the first half. The offense is completely out of sync and there’s nothing positive happening unless Phillip Lindsay touches the ball.
More to come in the second half, hopefully much better from Denver.