After hitting their stride during the team's five-game winning streak, the Denver Broncos offensive line got dominated in their Week 13 loss versus the Houston Texans. Some weeks, the Broncos' offense looks totally dysfunctional and not a unit coached by a Hall of Fame offensive mind with a future Hall of Famer under center and five solid offensive linemen.
Well, Week 13 was one of those weeks. It honestly felt doomed from the start. Part of the issue wasn't the sacks. The OL only allowed three sacks on the day, which doesn't seem nearly as high as the pressure the unit allowed. Russell Wilson was under pressure all day, and many of his incompletions were throwaways.
Even the last play of the game for the offense was Wilson under serious pressure, forcing a low-percentage attempt that was picked off in the endzone. Rookie pass rusher Will Anderson Jr had himself a huge day, too, racking up three tackles and two sacks. It also felt like, yet again, that right tackle Mike McGlinchey got beaten constantly.
McGlinchey signed a massive five-year deal with the team worth nearly $90 million, and it's been a poor investment thus far. McGlinchey has easily been the worst OL this year for the Broncos, and got beaten by the rookie Anderson multiple times on Sunday. In the NFL, something that has been true forever is the importance of winning the line of scrimmage.
Teams who lose the of scrimmage typically don't win, and while the Broncos did sack CJ Stroud five times, Stroud was able to do enough damage through the air. Denver also went a horrid 0/11 on third down, which also can be put on the offensive line to an extent. Fortunately for the Broncos, the defenses they have left to face aren't as good as the Texans' unit.
They have yet to face the Detroit Lions, twice the Los Angeles Chargers, the New England Patriots, and the Las Vegas Raiders. Hopefully, the offensive line can recoup for the crucial stretch run as the team looks to clinch a Wild Card spot.