Game Thread: Week 15- Denver Broncos @ Detroit Lions

[wingsauce7]

Well, on the bright side, I’ll be able to focus on Christmas Eve without worrying about the Broncos game.

 

[MileHigh64]

Not sure we weren't robbed on that whole series. Two times crossing the plane and a bogus offensive offsides penalty. WTH? Payton is pissed and seems to be taking it out on RW.

 

[iknowftbll]

Man this is why that Texans game was so important. The Texans are not a better team than the Broncos, the Lions certainly appear to be. Thankfully, even with that loss to the Texans, this game is the least important remaining on the Broncos schedule.

 

[CEH]

Russ is the issue

 

[iknowftbll]

Yeah definitely a setback, but this doesn't derail the Broncos playoff hopes. 10-7 very likely gets them in, though they aren't quite in the driver's seat the would have been at 11-6.

I want to see a strong finish from this team. Minimum expectation is a 9-8 finish for the team's first winning record since 2016. That would go a long way toward stopping the bleeding of the culture of losing that has festered here for so long now. A 10-7 finish and playoff appearance takes that a step further.

Ultimately I am eager to see what Sean Payton can do with this team after a full season as coach. Tonight is a bummer but this season isn't over and for the first time in a long time it does feel we have a professional running the show and some direction for the team.

 

[MileHigh64]

I knew this would be a tough game to win but I wasn't expecting that level of beatdown.

Gotta win the last three and will probably need some help. Hopefully, this is a wake up game. Next two are back at Mile High.

 

[MileHigh64]

I don't think anyone saw this Broncos team as a Super Bowl contender but getting into the playoffs would be such a huge accomplishment and help propel them into the future.

 

[iknowftbll]

I don't think anyone saw this Broncos team as a Super Bowl contender but getting into the playoffs would be such a huge accomplishment and help propel them into the future.

Exactly. I didn't expect a deep playoff run. After the Miami game I didn't even expect a respectable season that could make me proud to be a Broncos fan again. I'd say at 7-7 there's still a very good chance for that. This year under Payton is all about starting the breathing and stopping the bleeding*.

*Four life saving steps:

Start the breathing
Stop the bleeding
Protect the wound
Treat for shock

I'm not a medical person, just a retired Marine and this is what we teach for combat life saving steps. Applied to the Broncos the most critical thing is purging that facility of the disease of losing. That can be considered to either of the first two combat life saving steps.

 

[Draft Crazy]

I’m from Waterloo, most of my family is up near Mason City.

Nice. I was just in Waterloo and Mason City last week on my way to Minneapolis. Stopped to visit a friend in Mason City on the way and stopped in Waterloo on the way home to eat. @wingsauce7

 

[Dolemite censored]

RW needs to request a trade. RW and Sean Peyton do not get along. I never once saw Sean Peyton ever go after Drew Brees like he's gone after RW, even when Brees has done more serious fuck ups in playoff games. There is no chemistry between them.

 

[Dolemite censored]

Russ, collect your guaranteed money and move on from these losers.

 

[Stlducks]

Would Bronco fans prefer to keep Wilson or move on? Who would be a realistic replacement next season?

 

[Draft Crazy]

Would Bronco fans prefer to keep Wilson or move on? Who would be a realistic replacement next season?

I think we are basically going to have very little choice. There will be nothing better for us to replace him with.

We have some drama queens around here. When we win Russ is ok when we lose he is the problem.

Truth is. Russ is above average. He is frustrating at times because of what we gave up for him and what people expect and what he use to be. He is still better then most other options and you can win with him.

We are 6-2 in our last 8 games and lost to a very good Lions team.

He isn't and likely will never be the ole Russell Wilson we saw for a few years in Seattle but to be honest I have always felt Russ was a little overrated. Doesn't mean he was ever a bad QB just not as good as some people though and now his age is hitting him a bit. He is also in his second offense in two years.

We have a new coach, a new offense, we started 1-5 and have gone 6-2 since. It takes a little time. The last 8 weeks have been very successful. We won 5 games in a row at one time which also happens to be 5 teams that are either going to make the playoffs or right in the thick of the playoff hunt. In that 6-2 span we lost to a team that is in the playoffs and another in the thick of the hunt. We have played the last 3 games on the road.

EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK!

Major improvement. Are we great? No! But we have improved under a new coach who is still flipping the culture with a roster of player that he mostly inherited. Our drafts are better. Our OL is better. We have a lot of things to improve this offseason but we are headed in the right direction.

Fans are ALL or NOTHING when you win or lose. We gout are rear end kicked last night by a team that is better then us. Good way to go back and improve and get better going forward.

I don't know what people's expectations were going into this year but I think you were living a large dream if you thought we would be better then what we currently are. Step by step we are getting better. We have a ways to go. We can at least compete now. When was the last time a Week 15 game meant something to us?

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Learn to appreciate this. Don't be a Mahomes and cry about it.

 

[CEH]

PS2 got abused last night by a real QB.
our whole offense is based on running the ball. works well in close games but have zero playmakers compared to DET whose rookies abused the slow white broncos LBers and Ps2.

zero pressure on the QB. detroit’s d is below average. a decent QB should have matched Lions offense.

Russ stares at the blitzing LB and still fumbles.

i think Denver will move on from Russ and go draft a QB.

 

[iknowftbll]

I think we are basically going to have very little choice. There will be nothing better for us to replace him with.

We have some drama queens around here. When we win Russ is ok when we lose he is the problem.

Truth is. Russ is above average. He is frustrating at times because of what we gave up for him and what people expect and what he use to be. He is still better then most other options and you can win with him.

We are 6-2 in our last 8 games and lost to a very good Lions team.

He isn't and likely will never be the ole Russell Wilson we saw for a few years in Seattle but to be honest I have always felt Russ was a little overrated. Doesn't mean he was ever a bad QB just not as good as some people though and now his age is hitting him a bit. He is also in his second offense in two years.

We have a new coach, a new offense, we started 1-5 and have gone 6-2 since. It takes a little time. The last 8 weeks have been very successful. We won 5 games in a row at one time which also happens to be 5 teams that are either going to make the playoffs or right in the thick of the playoff hunt. In that 6-2 span we lost to a team that is in the playoffs and another in the thick of the hunt. We have played the last 3 games on the road.

EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK!

Major improvement. Are we great? No! But we have improved under a new coach who is still flipping the culture with a roster of player that he mostly inherited. Our drafts are better. Our OL is better. We have a lot of things to improve this offseason but we are headed in the right direction.

Fans are ALL or NOTHING when you win or lose. We gout are rear end kicked last night by a team that is better then us. Good way to go back and improve and get better going forward.

I don't know what people's expectations were going into this year but I think you were living a large dream if you thought we would be better then what we currently are. Step by step we are getting better. We have a ways to go. We can at least compete now. When was the last time a Week 15 game meant something to us?

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Learn to appreciate this. Don't be a Mahomes and cry about it.

Good post. I wonder what the offense will look like next year. How will RW look in his second season in Payton's offense? I think we've seen enough this season to pique our curiosity for next. But making a change at QB at this point and it's probably going to look like starting over again when we actually have an opportunity to build off this season.

 

[SpringStein]

Broncos’ lack of explosive talent on display in loss to Lions that threatens playoff bid

The Lions torched the Broncos behind young playmakers selected in a part of the draft the Broncos haven't participated in since 2021.

theathletic.com

Really good article by Kosmider laying out the reasons for the gap in talent, but not being pessimistic.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Good post. I wonder what the offense will look like next year. How will RW look in his second season in Payton's offense? I think we've seen enough this season to pique our curiosity for next. But making a change at QB at this point and it's probably going to look like starting over again when we actually have an opportunity to build off this season.

Thing is. It is a good QB class so you might luck out and one of the top 5-6 fall to you but the top elite guys are going to be long gone before we pick and then you risk wasting a high pick on a QB of the future. I don't think Payton wants to go into year 2 starting a rookie QB. I could see a scenario where he keeps Wilson and drafts a fallen QB but you can't bank on that.

Odds are Russ Wilson is our starting QB next year. No rookie outside the elite is going to be able to come to Denver and make us a better team right away and even if that was the case you take those ups and downs. I don't think Payton is looking for a project as his next Denver QB when he has an already proven (and not himself but still proving he can win with him) QB in place.

Probably better off focusing on the pass rush, DL. Run defense, adding another playmaker at WR and fixing the worst TE unit in the NFL.

The OL looks fixed for the most part although we may have to let Cushenberry walk if he gets a strong offer which appears he likely could. I think Meinerz will be a higher priority the following year and it will be hard to put a lot of money into a C with Powers and likely Meinerz on good contracts.

I think we need to look at extending Bolles too. He has been fantastic. We have some time on that one though. He and Meinerz will both be UFA's at the end of 2024 season so it might mean we have to let Cushenberry walk with a good offer. Cush is also a team leader so there is that but then again so are Bolles and Meinerz and they should be higher priority.

I think this offseason is going to be more focused on supporting Russ and not "replacing Russ" because there just simply isn't going to be a good option. Even if a solid QB drops to us we should probably keep Russ one more year as that QB waits in the wing. Would actually be a good situation for a rookie QB. We sure as heck aren't going to draft a QB just to draft a QB to run Russ out.

 

[CEH]

Broncos’ lack of explosive talent on display in loss to Lions that threatens playoff bid

The Lions torched the Broncos behind young playmakers selected in a part of the draft the Broncos haven't participated in since 2021.

theathletic.com

Really good article by Kosmider laying out the reasons for the gap in talent, but not being pessimistic.

cliff notes?

 

[Draft Crazy]

BTW,

I know we have had injuries and we started off rough but how healthy we have been able to stay throughout the season vs the last 5 years or so has been incredible. I guess that LSU health coach really paid off.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Thought PJ Locke took two steps back yesterday too. Had a poor game. Could be that he wasn't healthy but after getting a lot of love this week he struggled. Moreau had his worst game as a Bronco too. Won't throw these guys to the curb they have played great but just calling that out.

Singleton and Jewell weren't as active as we are us to. Browning didn't do much. Just an overall bad game that reminded you a bit of a game we had earlier in the year. After a few bounce back games for Singleton he looked more like he did earlier in the season. Wasn't fast to the football and out of position. Josey wasn't out of position but didn't make the plays we are use to him making. Zach Allen after having a crazy amount of good weeks was also off his game.

Thought DJ Jones played his best game of the year though.

I expected the Lions to run the ball a lot more.

Anyone else think maybe they knew our game plan was going to be expecting that? I think we confused so much on the run game this week that we got caught sleeping in the pass game.

Kudos to the Lions. The better team won. They were well prepared and I think they knew exactly what our game plan was. We lost to a good team. On to the next.