In Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, the Denver Broncos offense got a historically low number of offensive possessions. This puts into perspective their low point output. When I saw this statistic, I was truly shocked. The Broncos dropped their first game of the 2023 season against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was another tough loss, as the offense was only able to score 16 points.
However, kicker Will Lutz missed an extra point and a field goal, so he cost the team four points right there. Russell Wilson was very sharp. He completed 27/34 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. There weren't a lot of explosive plays, and I think a lot of that can be attributed to Jerry Jeudy not being in the lineup and because Greg Dulcich left the game with a hamstring injury.
Denver was missing that extra gear in their offense, and it showed. However, the unit made the most of their possessions, and Wilson's performance was very encouraging. The Broncos only got six offensive possessions on Sunday. You might not react much to that, but take this Tweet into consideration:
How rare is a six-possession game?
— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) September 11, 2023
The Broncos had never had a game with fewer than eight offensive drives dating back to 2000, according to TruMedia.
Think about this for a second. The Broncos' got a record-low number of possessions, and that record is 23 years old, when I was only 3. It's actually baffling how little the Broncos' offense got to take the field. Take this other point into consideration as well; even with Will Lutz costing Denver four points, Denver scored 2.6 points per possession, since 16 divided by six is 2.6.
Well, Nick Kosmider's tweet also says that the team hadn't had less than eight drives since 2000, so if the Broncos' got eight offensive drives and maintained their production from Week 1, they'd have scored around 21 points, which would have been enough to win the game. You see, just because the team scored 16 points doesn't mean the offense had a bad day.
In fact, the offense played much better than the defense, and it's a shame that many within Broncos Country aren't realizing this simple fact. Hopefully, the defense can force the Washington Commanders off the field quicker in Week 2, as it's clear that Sean Payton knows how to put points on the board.
Fortunately, the Commanders' offense didn't exactly have the best day against the Arizona Cardinals, so I do like Denver's chances in Week 2. Hopefully, Denver can break the 20-point mark and earn a Commanding win against the Commanders.