Following a 100 scrimmage yard performance in Indianapolis during the Broncos' Week 2 loss to the Colts, it felt as though receiver Troy Franklin was finally turning a corner and becoming a legitimate weapon for Denver. His performance in Week 3 proved to be a major setback for Franklin, considering he brought in just two passes for a total of four yards and was not a factor down the stretch of the game.
Franklin has been one of the bright spots in the Broncos' offense through the first two weeks of play, but he took a back seat in every sense of the word in Denver's Week 3 loss to the Chargers. The former Oregon Duck was able to bring in just two receptions for a grand total of four yards on Sunday, by far his worst output of the year and one of the worst of his career.
Despite his rough showing at SoFi Stadium, it is not yet time to panic regarding Troy Franklin. His first two games showed more than enough to buy him a grace period in case of a rough performance, and he should be offered one from Week 3.
Troy Franklin's breakout hit a speed bump, not an ending point
The Troy Franklin breakout is still on, so there is no need to worry. One poor performance doesn't equate to his season falling off the rails, especially given how well Franklin performed against the Colts. On top of that, it felt fairly obvious that the Broncos intended to target their matchups with Courtland Sutton, and to their credit, it worked fairly well.
Denver's plan to work Sutton into the focus of their offense was fairly successful, especially given that Sutton crossed the 100-yard mark fairly easily. In the end, Sutton received eight of Bo Nix's 23 pass attempts, while Franklin received just four.
Ultimately, it is hard to put much blame on Franklin for not doing more with effectively one target a quarter. Denver leaned on their running game much more, and their defense was on the field far more often than its offense was.
Now, if Franklin struggles again this upcoming week against the Bengals, then there is likely a different conversation to be had. As of now, there is no reason to believe that Franklin will be targeted just four times again, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that when Nix and Sutton are connecting, that is where most of the targets should go. Look for another big game from Franklin next week against the Bengals.