The Denver Broncos got a much-needed win on Sunday Night Football at home against the San Francisco 49ers, moving to 2-1 on the 2022 season. The win was critical for the Broncos not just in terms of the standings, but in terms of keeping the team’s overall growth from what we’d seen in the first two games against the Seahawks and Texans.
After those first two games, the Denver Broncos had to be better in two specific areas, namely cutting down on penalties and being better with game management. It’s safe to say they were markedly better in those two areas with just five accepted penalties (compared to 25 in the first two games) and much better overall game management with no clock issues. The Broncos were even able to get the ball back at the end of the first half with some great clock management, though the offense failed in an epic way after the defense got them the ball at midfield.
Besides those two major improvements, here are three big takeaways from the Denver Broncos’ win over the 49ers on Sunday night.
3 major takeaways after Denver Broncos win vs. 49ers in Week 3
1. It’s fair to be a little worried about the Broncos’ offense
After the Broncos beat the 49ers by a final score of 11-10, Josey Jewell joked with a reporter in the locker room that this particular game reminded him of an Iowa-Wisconsin matchup, and he’s 100 percent accurate.
True story, #Broncos postgame locker room, one Iowa native to another:
— Sean Keeler (@SeanKeeler) September 26, 2022
Me: "Did that game remind you of what it reminded me of?"
Josey Jewell: "Oh, Iowa-Wisconsin. Oh, yeah. Easy."#Broncos #BroncosCountry #NFL #SNFonNBC #SFvsDEN #B1G
And this is not a compliment, either, depending on which way you slice it. If you’re looking at it from the defensive perspective (more on that in a moment), it’s a great thing. A win is a win in the NFL and you grind them out any way you can. Winning pretty doesn’t matter in the NFL as much as it does in the Big Ten, but the Broncos-49ers tilt on Sunday night certainly felt like a classic Big Ten matchup for all the wrong reasons.
Horrendous offense, great punting, great defense. Sounds like Iowa-Wisconsin to me. I think it’s certainly worth being at least a little worried about the Denver Broncos’ offense at this point. Although Russell Wilson has been clutch, the Broncos have failed to put more than 16 points on the board in any of their first three games. It feels at times like the team is going to need a defensive score just to keep hope alive. Incidentally, this game was won thanks to a safety.
Beyond just Russell Wilson, though, the Broncos’ offense has problems. Penalties, dropped passes, and Melvin Gordon, to name a few. The game management was much better against the 49ers but the offensive output was absolutely putrid. Nine three-and-outs? You’ve got to be kidding me.
2. The Denver Broncos pass rush is phenomenal
The Denver Broncos’ defense, as a whole, is absolutely legit. They are championship-caliber and I don’t think that’s a stretch to say just based on the opponents and quarterbacks the Broncos have faced. There will be bigger tests upcoming, but the Broncos just held Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers — who have been running the ball at will this season — to 88 yards rushing on the night. After an impressive scoring drive from San Francisco early in the game, they were lucky to make it past midfield.
One of the big reasons the Broncos are having such success defensively is the pass rush. Randy Gregory has a whopping 15 pressures through his first three games as a Bronco. So much for needing to play in the preseason, right? Gregory came up with another big sack in this game for the Broncos, but he wasn’t alone. Bradley Chubb was wreaking havoc and would have had a pick-six if not for Dan Orlovsk– er, Jimmy Garoppolo stepping out of the back of the end zone.
It’s time to recognize the Denver Broncos’ pass rush for what it is — an elite group. Ejiro Evero has done a phenomenal job of scheming rushes, sending blitzes, moving guys around the formation, and creating pressure from all angles. Working in tandem with the coverage unit, the Broncos’ defense right now is firing on all cylinders.
How far can this unit take the team this season? So far through the first couple of games of the 2022 season, this Denver defense is reminiscent of the 2015 unit, and we haven’t even seen Justin Simmons out there for two weeks. So far, the pass rush duo of Gregory and Chubb has been a huge factor for the Broncos in terms of having a domino effect on the rest of the defensive success.
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…
The Denver Broncos need to release Melvin Gordon
The Denver Broncos signed Melvin Gordon before the 2020 season, and re-signed him this offseason. However, it's time to end this era in Denver.
Getting more Mike Boone going forward wouldn’t be the worst idea.