Denver Broncos: What we learned in win against Oakland
Demaryius Thomas drops
Thomas’ Achilles heel since joining the Broncos as a 2010 first-round pick is that he always seems to have the case of the dropsies.
He caught just 5 of his 11 targets on Sunday, which is not good at all. The Broncos cannot rely on just one receiver (Emmanuel Sanders) to perform well.
If Thomas continues to drop passes, especially ones that hit him right in his hands, the Broncos are going to have to find other players to throw the ball to.
It’s a good thing they drafted Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton in the 2018 draft. They might need one or both to step up big time.
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Broncos inability to cover tight ends continues
Speaking of Achilles heels, tight ends continue to haunt the Broncos’ defense. The Broncos have struggled for many years in covering opponents’ tight ends.
No, Raiders tight end Jared Cook did not have a 100-yard day, but he did connect with quarterback Derek Carr four times for 49 yards. He gained 20 of those yards on just one play.
The loss of safety Su’a Cravens to injured reserve hurts. Hopefully, he comes back when he is eligible in 2018 via the injured reserve/return designation rule.
Amari Cooper’s big day
Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper had a big day against the Broncos’ defense.
He put up 10 receptions for 116 yards, including a 30-yard catch.
The Broncos defensive backs had a poor showing on Sunday. The absence of Aqib Talib, who was traded to the Los Angeles Rams this past offseason, is proving to have been a poor move. Was the performance of Denver’s cornerbacks due to just playing poorly, or was it because of bad game-calling by the defensive coaches?
Maybe it was some of both.
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Whatever the issue was in regards to the defensive backs, it needs to be solved.
The Broncos are going to look a lot better if they clean up these mistakes. The team has shown that they don’t need to have stellar performances from key spots on the team to pull off a victory.