This is exactly what Broncos Country didn’t want to see. Another ugly, poor performance for the Denver Broncos as they lost the season opener to the Oakland Raiders and — though it’s just one game — they now sit at the bottom of the division as the only AFC West team to lose this week.
It was a sluggish performance all around. Vin Fangio didn’t look much different than Vance Joseph at times. There was no pass rush and Joe Flacco was basically average, as some speculated he would be.
These are supposed to be the strengths of this team, so if you’re looking at the glass as half full, you will chalk this up to just needing more time to play together and become a more cohesive unit.
There were some winners in this game but as you may have already guessed, more losers. Here they are.
Winner: Courtland Sutton
Easily the top performer for the Broncos, Sutton did his part to keep the team in the game. He caught seven passes for 120 yards on the night as Flacco’s favorite target.
The 120 yards were the most in the young career of Sutton, who set a previous high of 85 yards in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last December.
Loser: DaeSean Hamilton
Would this game have had a different result had DaeSean Hamilton caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter? We’ll never know. But one thing is for sure, Flacco hit him right in the numbers.
On a 3rd-and-goal in the third quarter, Flacco made a great read and found Hamilton in the end zone. Hamilton just flat out dropped it. Instead of the Broncos cutting the Raiders’ lead to four points, they had to settle for a field goal (the theme of the night) and still trailed by eight.
Winner: Emmanuel Sanders
Sanders played well in this game too, particularly in the late stages. He made the Broncos’ most explosive play, hauling in a 48-yard bomb from Flacco. He also scored the team’s only touchdown, finishing the game with five catches for 86 yards and the score.
Loser: Noah Fant
First off, and this isn’t the fault of Fant, but why is a team’s first offensive play call a jet sweep to the tight end? Terrible.
Fant had a forgettable rookie debut, catching just two passes in the game, but he also logged two critical penalties. His first, an illegal block above the waist, brought back a 36-yard gain on a completion to Sutton.
Later, he was called for a holding penalty on a third-down play from the Raiders’ 36-yard line just before halftime. Though the Broncos didn’t get the first down, they would have had a very makeable field goal. That penalty pushed them out of field-goal range, though they kicked it anyway since it was the last play of the first half, and missed.
Winner: Brandon McManus
Though it was discouraging to see the Broncos kick so many field goals, McManus was ready to nail them when he came out onto the field. His only miss came from 64 yards (and it was close).
The last time the Broncos and Raiders opened the season against each other on Monday Night Football, back in 2011, Sebastian Janikowski tied the NFL record (then 63 yards) with a field goal on the last play of the first half.
McManus nearly repeated history on Monday night, coming up just short on his attempt from 64 yards on the last play of the first half, which would have matched the record which is now held by Matt Prater, which he did while with the Broncos.
Loser: Isaac Yiadom
It was a rough night for Yiadom. It seemed Derek Carr and the Raiders’ offense knew it had an advantage over Yiadom as they targeted the guy he was covering repeatedly.
Whether it was Tyrell Williams or Darren Waller, they had their way with Yiadom.
Who was a worse third-round pick between Yiadom and Brendan Langley? Both were drafted to be building blocks in the Broncos’ secondary, but as bad as Yiadom has been, that’s becoming a real question.
Loser: Pass rush
You could really put the entire defense down as a loser as the team wasn’t particularly good in any facet on Monday night, but if there is one thing the Broncos are supposed to be good at, it’s rushing the passer.
Where was it?
The Broncos didn’t get a single sack in this game, in fact, they didn’t even get close to one. Bradley Chubb and Von Miller were neutralized from the start and Carr faced basically no pressure for most of the game.
That was a big reason as to why he completed 22 of his 26 pass attempts.
One bright note for the Broncos’ defense was Josey Jewell. The linebacker seemed to be in on almost every play and registered 14 tackles in the game.
