Denver Broncos: Winners and losers from Week 1 loss to Titans

Biggest loser: Vic Fangio

It’s tough to put the coach here for just one thing, but managing the clock has to be among the most basic functions of a head coach and in that regard, Fangio failed.

After the Broncos failed to put the game away when they had the ball, the team allowed the Titans to go down the field on a long, time-consuming drive that led to the eventual game-winning field goal, a result that Fangio almost gave them.

As the Titans drove into field-goal range, it was clear they were content to win the game with a field goal, even though Gostkowski hadn’t been able to hit the broad side of a barn all night. Fangio sat there, three timeouts in his pocket, and watched.

See, when you play not to lose, you almost always lose.

You’re known around all league circles as a great defensive mind. So make the other team make a play. Don’t allow that team to dictate to you how the game is going to end.

Fangio could have called his timeouts and not only would the Broncos have had more than 17 seconds on the clock when they finally got the ball back, but Gostkowski probably would have had to make more than a 25-yard field goal. If you watched the rest of the game, you know that would have been  an adventure for him.

But hey, don’t just take it from me. Take it from Fangio himself, who has already acknowledged his mistake in this scenario.