The Denver Broncos are feeling good on a victory Monday, and rightfully so. But there are still some concerns coming out of this win.
Everyone in Broncos Country should be feeling good on this Victory Monday, but as is typically the case in the NFL these days, victories can come at a significant cost. For the Denver Broncos, the cost of beating the New York Giants is still mostly undetermined, but there are some concerns coming out of this game and things the team will need to address moving forward.
Let’s not get it twisted, though, this was a big-time win for the Denver Broncos and one of the most impressive performances from the team we’ve seen in recent years.
That seems very sad to even type, but it’s true.
The Broncos did mostly well in all facets of this game, and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater played at a very high level in his first game as the team’s starter.
With that being said, what are the top areas of concern coming out of the victory?
Denver Broncos: Top 3 areas of concern after Giants win
1. Jerry Jeudy’s ankle injury
During the game against the New York Giants, Jerry Jeudy had his ankle rolled up on pretty badly in what appeared to be a devastating long-term loss for the Denver Broncos.
It was reported during the game that Jeudy thankfully avoided a season-ending injury or break in his ankle.
#Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy has a high ankle sprain, source said. X-rays negative.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 12, 2021
Jeudy was carted off the field and looked like he was in quite a bit of pain, understandably so, after getting rolled up on.
What makes this injury worse is the fact that it would have been avoided altogether if KJ Hamler had caught a pass earlier in the drive from Teddy Bridgewater for a touchdown. Injuries can happen at any time, of course, but the Hamler dropped touchdown was part of the sequence that ultimately led to this play going down.
Considering Jeudy’s best asset is his quickness and ability to change directions on a dime, this is an injury that can’t be taken lightly.
The Broncos have plenty of talent at receiver to supplement this kind of loss, but not having Jerry Jeudy for any significant stretch of time would be a devastating blow. He looked like he had some really strong chemistry brewing with Teddy Bridgewater.
Denver Broncos Top 3 concerns after Giants win
2. More gripes with Tom McMahon’s special teams
The issue in the Giants game on special teams for the Denver Broncos was not the man pictured celebrating with his new teammates — Mike Ford.
The issue (or issues) in this game had to do with other aspects that need to be addressed.
On the Denver Broncos’ first punt of the game, Sam Martin appeared to try and pooch the ball downfield but the ball ended up bouncing the wrong way, so instead of the Denver Broncos really doing a good job of flipping field position, they essentially set up the New York Giants with a touchback.
Although it could have been Martin choosing to punt the ball the way he did instead of getting some air and hangtime under it, it also could have been a call and play designed by Tom McMahon.
Jabrill Peppers only had one return for two yards in the game, but there are reasons why Vic Fangio decided to go for it on fourth down multiple times when he could have otherwise punted.
The Broncos stink right now in this regard and simply aren’t pinning teams deep.
Thank goodness we saw more from Martin as a holder for Brandon McManus in this game than as a punter anyway, but why is it that the Broncos’ punter is consistently getting outkicked by the other team’s punter under McMahon’s watch?
Another issue with special teams?
The Giants averaged 33 yards per kickoff return with a long of 38. Although there were no game-altering returns in this one, the coverage units still have more tightening up to do.
It wasn’t all bad from the special teams in this game, but it’s been really confusing to see Martin being outkicked and the coverage units have to be better.
Denver Broncos top 3 concerns after Giants win
3. New-look secondary must be better
How about that new-look secondary for the Denver Broncos?
First-round pick Pat Surtain II only played 16 snaps in his NFL debut and missed a tackle on Sterling Shepard, allowing Shepard to score the Giants’ only legitimate touchdown in this game.
Ronald Darby was solid for the most part but was also called for a (questionable) pass interference penalty. That penalty occurred on third down and helped set the Giants up for a scoring drive.
Kyle Fuller was picked on often by Daniel Jones in this game, although he bounced back in the red zone to make a team-high two pass breakups. Fuller was also called for a key defensive holding penalty on Kenny Golladay and had a chance at an interception but missed it.
Nobody should be worried at this point. It will take some time for these guys to all gel together, but I think many also expected these defensive backs to absolutely put the clamps on from the first time they took the field together.
Obviously, that wasn’t necessarily the case against the Giants as we saw a number of big plays for the Giants in the passing game, and the Broncos got burned with their off coverage a couple of times.
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The run defense in this game from the Broncos was absolutely outstanding. The pass defense was okay for the most part. It might be a stretch to consider it a ‘concern’ moving forward but it’s definitely an area that needs some refinement.