The Denver Broncos opened up the 2023 NFL season with a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at home. Most surprisingly to Broncos fans, the offense played well and showed more than just a basic level of competency, while the defense struggled with penalties, Jakobi Meyers, and generating any pressure. There were plenty of signs of hope for the Broncos in week one, but if a few aspects of their play don't turn around in week two, it could be a long first season for Sean Payton and company. Here are three worst-case scenarios for the Broncos in week two against the Washington Commanders.
3 worst-case scenarios for the Denver Broncos vs. Commanders
1) No Pass Rush Again
The Broncos struggled to generate any pass rush against the Raiders. Jimmy Garoppolo was not sacked once, and the Broncos gave up a few key rushes to the Raiders quarterback in major spots, including one that effectively put the game away. The Broncos were able to remain respectable against the Raiders rushing attack, but they did not pose any threat of getting into the backfield on passes.
The Broncos are not short of pass rush weapons, considering the arrival of Zach Allen and Frank Clark while returning names such as Jonathon Cooper, Baron Browning (who did not play in week one), Nik Bonitto, and Randy Gregory. This group figures to be a solid one, especially considering their depth. However, as a whole, the Broncos' edge rushers no-showed, and the interior of the offensive line struggled to get any pressure on the quarterback from their positions. This allowed Jimmy G. all the time he needed to empty out his arsenal. In the end, it was arguably the largest contributing factor to the Broncos' loss in week one, and another no-show in week two would paint all sorts of issues for the health of the Broncos' 2023 campaign.
2) More Long Drives With No Big Plays
Jerry Jeudy's absence in week one was palpable. The Broncos had several long and successful drives, but as they marched down the field at a slow pace, the lack of a big-play receiver was felt. The Broncos took a couple of shots and drew up some interesting plays, but Phillip Dorsett's foot and a decent Raiders' defense kept the Broncos from striking many strong plays. The Broncos' leading receiver in week one was Samaje Perine with 37 yards, a feat the Broncos are probably hoping happens just once this season.
The lack of big plays made the Broncos continue their focus on the ground game and short-yardage play actions. Their second pass of the game went from Wilson to Brandon Johnson for 21 yards, which ended up making up roughly one-eighth of the Broncos receiving yards in that game. Only two Broncos averaged a yard per catch (YPC) over 10 yards per catch, with Johnson being one, and Greg Dulcich, who went for 22 yards before exiting with an injury, being the other.
The Broncos are facing a 1-0 Commanders team on Sunday who allowed just 16 points to the Cardinals. If the Broncos want to put up more than 16 points on the board in week two, they are going to need to make more big plays and expand the explosiveness of their offense.
3) The Secondary Struggles Again
Note: Pat Surtain played an amazing game and deserves all the credit in the world. This criticism does not pertain to him. However, the rest of the Broncos secondary had their struggles, maybe aside from Essang Bassey. Kareem Jackson did pick off Jimmy G in the endzone during a tip drill, but his hit on Jakobi Meyers late in the fourth quarter effectively sealed the win for the Raiders. Justin Simmons was called for his own crucial penalty, which loomed large at the end of the Broncos' loss.
Perhaps worst of all was second-year corner Damarri Mathis, who played arguably the worst NFL game of his career, even considering his four pass interference game in 2022. Mathis graded out with a 27.8 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade for the game, which was the worst score of his career. Beyond that, Mathis now ranks as the 92nd-ranked corner in football, making his 27.8 PFF score the worst of any corner in week one, and by default, Mathis is the worst-ranked corner in the NFL by PFF.
With the struggles of the Broncos secondary, specifically Mathis, it is unclear how quickly the Broncos can turn around their issues. K'Waun Williams remains on the IR for at least the first four weeks, and Riley Moss missed week one with an injury. If Moss remains injured, the Broncos could be in deep trouble if Mathis does not improve off his week one performance or lack thereof.