Denver Broncos 3 quick takeaways after clutch win vs. 49ers
3. Denver Broncos can no longer trust Melvin Gordon
Whenever Melvin Gordon’s days with the Denver Broncos are done, what is the one thing fans will remember him for? Unfortunately for Gordon, it won’t be any of his touchdowns. It will be the many, many fumbles.
So far this season, Gordon has already fumbled the ball three times. Given the fact that we’re only three games into this thing, by my count, he’s on pace for 17 fumbles this year. An average of one fumble per game would get a lot of players benched, but the Broncos trotted Melvin Gordon right back out there in a crucial situation and for the biggest drive of the game.
Down in the red zone, it was Gordon who punched the ball into the end zone for the team’s first red zone score of the year. That was great, and all, but you can’t blame Broncos Country at this point for being upset at the mere sight of no. 25 out there on the field when he’s an absolute liability, causing fans to hold their breath every time he touches the ball.
Gordon’s fumble against Seattle was at least a little more understandable. On fourth down, he’s trying to reach the ball over the goal line and make a play, and the ball came out in a scrum. We get it. Unfortunately, it felt more like par for the course for Gordon rather than the exception to the rule. Against the 49ers on Sunday night, Gordon was absolutely terrible for the Broncos.
With the Broncos backed up inside their own 10-yard line, Gordon coughed up the ball and he was lucky Russell Wilson had the awareness to jump on it, preventing the 49ers from starting a drive inside the Broncos’ five-yard line. Later in the game, Gordon caught a swing pass and had the ball knocked out of his hands, once again luckily recovered by Denver.
Early on in the game, Gordon also had a pass hit him right in the hands and it hung in the air for a football eternity. Somehow, the 49ers defenders weren’t able to get under the absolute beach ball Gordon lofted up.
It’s safe to say that frustration has mounted for Gordon and from an outside perspective, how can the Denver Broncos trust this guy anymore? There is concern of a turnover literally every time he touches the ball. When you have a player who is this big of a risk, I am just not sure how you recover from that. Gordon has had plenty of game-altering fumbles in his time with the Broncos but to have three fumbles already this season, a holding that wiped out a huge play from Montrell Washington, dropped passes, and then some…
Getting more Mike Boone going forward wouldn’t be the worst idea.