Sunday’s match at Empower Field, Mile High, hosted two very different games in the span of one. The first game constituting the first half, projected the Denver Broncos marching toward victory with an explosive offense, while the second game comprising the second half showed the absolute reversal. The offense remained way off a first down, while the defense was as good as inactive.
Following the game, Payton shouldered the blame for his team’s dismissal collapse despite holding a 21-3 lead over their opening rivals, Washington Commanders. Quarterback, Russell Wilson, fell into the line of fire, the team’s defense coordinator included.
The Broncos’ defense crumples under DC Vance Joseph
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“I didn’t think we played well defensively,” head coach Sean Payton said, addressing the media post the Broncos’ 35 – 33 defeat to the Washington Commanders. “[In the] second half, I think they were 100 percent—every time they entered the red zone, they scored a touchdown,” he noted. NFL analysts including Jordan Lopez clearly called out the disparity between the offense and the defensive play on a post shared on X, formerly Twitter. After analyzing the rate of offensive new down series conversion statistics he concluded, “Payton has this offense at the top of the league while Vance Joseph is running the defense into the ground.”
The complete 180 turn the Broncos have made this year compared to last season is absurd
Payton has this offense at the top of the league while Vance Joseph is running the defense into the ground pic.twitter.com/50HSq6Cv0y
— Jordan Lopez (@JordanTLopez) September 18, 2023
Owing to “slow” communication, Denver, who had managed to take a 21-3 lead in the second quarter, ended up getting outscored 32-3 by the end of the game. Payton admitted post-game, “Offensively, we were slow with our communication. That was frustrating…It was disappointing,” Payton came down heavily on his starting quarterback as well, whose fumble in the second quarter played a major role in the team’s defeat.
Willson-led defense faced with communication issues
“Russ’ has to be sharper with getting the play out,” Payton said post-game. “There were a number of drives where we were late with personnel, getting out of the huddle, we took a while,” Russel Wilson was unable to protect the ball which resulted in a costly fumble and an interception that cost the Bronks points and in the second half.
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“Ball security—punting the ball against this opponent wasn’t a bad thing. All of a sudden, they have the ball midfield and that leads to points. It was one of the big things we talked about that we have to be better with,” observed the head coach who ultimately accounted himself responsible for the team’s apparent failure, “We have to be better. I have to be better.”
Regardless, Wilson was able to amass 308 passing yards and three touchdowns, though he did have an interception and lost a fumble. Notably, he also led the team in rushing with 56 yards, achieving a significant milestone by becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to surpass 5,000 rushing yards while also exceeding 40,000 passing yards.
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As Denver prepares to set their scores right on Sunday’s match against the Dolphins, in Miami, fans and analysts eagerly wait for a calculated revamp that can cement the Broncs’ reputation as a winner.
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