This certainly isn’t the way Denver Broncos fans hoped the 2023 season would begin.
After a heartbreaking 35-33 loss to the Washington Commanders last week, the Broncos are now 0-2 going into a showdown with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Buy Broncos TicketsOn this week’s Broncos Wire podcast with host Ryan O’Leary, we react to the loss to the Commanders and preview the Dolphins game.
You can listen to episode 85 below:
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Our unedited notes for this week’s pod can be seen below.
Who is to blame for blowing a 21-3 lead?
- Rex Ryan, who interviewed for the defensive coordinator job this offseason, blames the team’s defense and DC Vance Joseph (without directly mentioning Joseph’s name) for the 0-2 start. Interesting comments from Ryan. Maybe he’ll be a name to keep an eye on if Joseph is fired.
- The defense took a big hit when safety Kareem Jackson was ejected. Jackson avoided a suspension but he needs to be careful — this was the second week in a row that Jackson was penalized for knocking a player out of a game with a concussion after a head hit.
- Damarri Mathis continues to be a huge liability at cornerback. The Broncos used a third-round pick to draft Riley Moss in April, but he had core muscle surgery this offseason and has been inactive for the first two games. Whenever Moss is deemed healthy, maybe he can step up at CB2.
Are there any positives from this mess?
- The offense scored 33 points! And they’re averaging the most points per possession in the NFL going into Monday Night Football. That’s a really good sign and what we expected from Sean Payton.
- Marvin Mims was a lightning bolt on Sunday — he had 113 yards and a TD on two catches, two rushes for 10 yards and a 45-yard punt return. He is a speedy deep threat and a great match for Russell Wilson‘s moon ball. The only negative is that Denver didn’t get him the ball more in the second half.
- Speaking of Wilson, he showed off his legs on Sunday with 56 rushing yards and he is now the only player in NFL history with 5,000 rushing yards and 40,000 passing yards. Wilson definitely wasn’t perfect in Week 2 — he lost a fumble and threw an interception — but he has five TDs through the first two weeks of the season and looks much better than last year.
- After missing two kicks in Week 1, Wil Lutz bounced back and was a perfect 5-of-5 on Sunday (2 FGs, 3 PATs).
Are we going to be absolutely obliterated by the Dolphins?
- The Dolphins (2-0) are considered 6.5-point favorites at home against the Broncos (0-2) this week.
- Denver’s offense seemingly turning a corner is a great sign, but the thought of Vance Joseph’s defense going up against Miami’s offense is terrifying.
- Vic Fangio will be eager to get revenge against the Broncos and he’ll have Bradley Chubb going up against an offensive line that allowed seven sacks in Week 2.
- Is Week 3 too soon for a season to be lost? Could Denver bounce back from an 0-3 start? Must-win game already? Tank for Caleb Williams? Can you tell how optimistic I’m feeling about this?
Ryan and I will return each week during the season to react to every game.
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