Sean Payton defended coach Darren Rizzi in recent days after further scrutiny regarding his special teams, but there might be no defending this. In a game that the Broncos entered as favorites of more than a touchdown, Denver's special teams is playing at its worst level, potentially ever. Punter Jeremy Crawshaw has returned to his preseason form, and the Broncos are being outclassed by a 2-6 Raiders team.
The Broncos turned in arguably the four worst drives of their season to begin this game. Denver went three-and-out on the first four, resulting in four punts, all of which were varying levels of awful. The first from Crawshaw looked to be blocked or tipped, but was simply a shank for the rookie. Somehow, this was the best of the bunch.
On a windy night in Denver, Crawshaw somehow averaged under 40 yards per punt on his first four attempts, including one that he somehow kicked off his ankle. To start the season, the rookie had seemed to put his issues from training camp and the preseason behind him. In the worst way, all of his issues came crashing back in the first half against Las Vegas. The Broncos continued their horrible special teams play against Houston into this week.
Darren Rizzi's special teams unit is officially a major problem for the Broncos
If the Broncos are going to live up to their 7-2 record in the postseason, they are going to need to see significantly better special teams play. The Broncos have the reigning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, which almost feels like a minor miracle considering the play of the rest of the unit. Outside of Will Lutz, this group has been an abomination.
To the credit of Payton and general manager George Paton, they have tried to make the needed moves. Denver has brought in a pair of special teamers since the offseason in Trent Sherfield and JT Gray, and All-Pro returner Marvin Mims has now missed the past two games with a concussion. In the two games without Mims, this unit has looked to be completely different and likely the worst in the NFL.
Rizzi owes a huge thank you to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and his unit, which consistently put Geno Smith and the Raiders offense in precarious situations. The team recorded 5 first-half sacks, a few of which likely saved themselves from multiple Raiders' field goals, and likely a handful of points, too. If the Broncos wind up losing this game, the special teams unit will have a major hand in their worst loss since their 2023 home loss to the then 3-11 Patriots.