The Denver Broncos‘ Week 17 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers had massive playoff implications for the squad. Ultimately, the game marked the end of their season as they failed to come away with a win. Los Angeles' run defense squandered the ground attack from the Broncos, who were thrashed in just about every facet of the game in the 34-13 loss. With that in mind, here are some key talking points from the Broncos-Chargers bout in Week 17.
With Teddy Bridgewater sidelined by injury once again, Drew Lock was thrust into the starting role, and put together a halfway decent performance for the Broncos. Still, it wasn't enough as Justin Herbert and the Chargers came to play, picking apart Denver's defense with ease. The running backs tandem of Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams looked like a shell of themselves in Week 17, with both parties being held below 50 rushing yards.
On the other hand, the Broncos' defense couldn't keep up with Justin Herbert's high-octane offensive approach, getting routinely torched by the former Oregon star. While Austin Ekeler wasn't rolling all over the Broncos' interior, their secondary was overwhelmed by Herbert and Co., who racked up 237 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win. With all that in mind, here are a few Denver Broncos Week 17 takeaways from their season-ending loss to the Chargers.
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Broncos Week 17 Takeaways
3. Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams need to step up
Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams looked like one of the most fearsome running back duos in football just a few weeks ago. That narrative has flipped itself upside down over the past couple of weeks, as Williams and Gordon have struggled to get anything going via the ground. After combining for eight yards in Week 16 (12 from Gordon, -4 from Williams), the pair were hoping to bounce back against the Chargers and keep the Broncos' season alive. Unfortunately, Los Angeles had other plans. The duo combined for 73 rushing yards against the Chargers and failed to score a touchdown in the loss. Their inability to effectively run the ball also made Drew Lock's job more difficult, when he wasn't getting nearly wiped off the planet by opposing defenders, that is.
2. Drew Lock needs to play safer
Whether this is a result of playcalling or Drew Lock trying to be too aggressive, there were multiple instances on Sunday where the young quarterback was thrust in harm's way. Lock briefly exited the game in the first quarter after getting truck sticked by Joey Bosa, but he returned to action in the second quarter. Well, not long after he came back onto the field, Lock took off on a short rush, the result being the quarterback getting pulverized by a defender. Certainly a questionable play call from the team considering Lock had only narrowly avoided a serious injury earlier in the game. Remarkably, Lock was called upon for another rush on fourth down in the red zone later on in the game. The Broncos opted for a flea-flicker rather than to hand it off to one of Gordon or Williams at the goal line. When trying to receive the pitch back from Mike Boone, Lock was met with a helmet-to-helmet hit by an opposing defender, one which clearly left him rattled, though he did tough it out and finish the game.
If Lock wants a long NFL career and a chance to reclaim his status as the Broncos' starter, avoiding these hits needs to becn ome a priority for the former Missouri standout. There were far too many instances in which Broncos fans were left holding their breath after a reckless play from Lock resulted in a near-injury. That type of recklessness needs to be cut out of his playstyle if he wants to succeed in Denver.
1. Vic Fangio came up short when it mattered most
Among the various NFL coaches who find themselves on the hot seat, Vic Fangio's job may be the least secure of all. Yes, we hear about Matt Nagy's impending firing on a near-weekly basis, but Fangio has strung together a worse start to his head coaching career in Denver than Nagy has in Chicago. And after the Broncos' 3-0 start, sights were set on a playoff berth. Since Week 3, however, the Broncos have gone 4-9 and completely fallen by the wayside in terms of their playoff chances. Week 17's clash with the Los Angeles Chargers was a must-win game for Fangio and Co., and instead of even keeping things competitive, the Broncos were blown out of the water from the word “go.” There was hardly a moment during the game where the Broncos looked competitive, and it certainly didn't help Fangio's cause that he continued to trot Lock back out there despite the young gunslinger having picked up various knocks during the game.
With season No. 3 wrapping up for Fangio, he holds an uninspiring record of 19-29, having never made the playoffs. The Broncos fell short of the postseason once again in 2021, which doesn't bode well for Fangio's future with the franchise.
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