After a surprisingly good start to the season, the Denver Broncos got hammered. Bo Nix dropped a truth bomb while Sean Payton said to embrace the misery. And here’s a look at the Broncos most to blame for the Week 9 loss to the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson did a number on the Broncos in the 41-10 decision. He threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns to finish with a perfect passer rating. Also, Derrick Henry passed rushing milestones as the Ravens scored on seven consecutive possessions.
Broncos QB Bo Nix said Jackson is a special player, according to espn.com.
“He’s a phenomenal football player, throws the ball really well,” Nix said. “Hard to do what he does on a consistent basis. He missed some practice this week and came out and looked very sharp. Props to him. He’s a phenomenal player. That’s why he gets all the accolades that he does. It’s special to be able to share a field with a guy like that.”
Broncos QB Bo Nix struggles against Ravens
Nix didn’t rate himself very highly after a 19-of-33 performance for 223 yards. He didn’t have a touchdown pass while throwing an interception. Also, Nix only totaled 36 yards rushing on six carries.
“A lot of what-ifs in this game,” Nix said, “And the fact of the matter is we got our butts kicked.”
He said the Broncos missed on key plays early in the game.
“Well, they were obviously really important plays in the game, and if you hit them, you never know what happens at the end of a drive,” Nix said. “We came away with no points on several of those fourth downs.
“It's no fun. You never want to lose games like this. You never want to lose, period, but obviously that's inevitable sometimes. But you don't want to lose like this. It is miserable, and we do have to face it. You either sit there and you point the finger at somebody else or you sit there and you take ownership of it.”
Broncos head coach Sean Payton had no answers
The Ravens led 24-10 at halftime, and Payton didn’t have any halftime-magic speeches in his pocket.
And it’s not like Payton didn’t know what his team faced. He said before the game the Ravens have defensive talent, including Kyle Hamilton, according to denverpost.com.
“We have to know where’s at and not have a protection where he is free,” Payton said. “He’s one of the better safeties I’ve seen in a while. “His film has been unbelievable. “By the week’s end, you really noticed his skillset (and) they do a great job of putting him in positions where he’s closer to the ball.”
The Broncos’ offense stalled at times, managing only 197 yards through the air and 122 on the ground. Those numbers aren’t terrible, but the team didn’t get any second-half points.
Payton said it’s part of life in the NFL, according to denvergazette.com.
“The most important thing, and I just finished telling them this, even beyond playing football,” Payton said. “There’s going to be games where you’ve got to go in on Monday and it’s not going to taste good for any of us. And we’re not going to like it. But that’s life. Then we’ve got to bow up and get ready to play (next Sunday at Kansas City). Let’s not make any excuses. We got whooped. I think that it gets back to that grit, and sometimes, embracing the misery a little bit. Including the head coach or any of us.”
Linebacker Nik Bonitto said the Broncos have done better and simply need to regroup.
“Just knowing what team we are and knowing the type of defense,” Bonitto said. “And knowing the kind of stage that we had to prove ourselves and not playing up the standard was kind of a disappointment. But we’ll learn from this.”
Broncos RB Javonte Williams couldn’t get loose
Williams totaled only 42 yards on 12 carries. Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh said he liked the way his defense controlled Williams and others, especially when the Broncos worked their way into Ravens’ territory, according to baltimoreravens.com.
“I thought the red zone defense was amazing,” Harbaugh said. “(And) I thought they did a great job in coverage. I thought our coverage did a great job the whole game. [Bo Nix is] a really dangerous quarterback, as you all saw. He's really hard to get down in the pocket. He was running around doing some things.
“And I thought our pass rush did a really nice job, especially in the red zone, of not letting them run out of there and score (on their) scrambling. Kudos to the defense, (and) kudos to (defensive coordinator) Zach (Orr). Kudos to all the coaches and the players.”
Ravens’ linebacker Roquan Smith said the Ravens’ defense is in a good place right now.
“It was amazing just to be able to go out there, play free, play to the standard that we know is the standard,” Smith said. “And going out there and imposing your will on other grown men. When you're able to do that play-in and play-out, it's definitely a good feeling, and that's what you do; you celebrate at the end. But that's what we expect from one another, and that's what we did. Despite (that) they made some plays as well, so you expect that, but we're just getting start
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