Few expected the Denver Broncos to win against the Baltimore Ravens, but a 31-point blowout wasn't on many people's radars either. After such a thorough thrashing that saw the Broncos lose 41-10, head coach Sean Payton wants his team to “embrace the misery a little bit,” per The Athletic's Nick Kosmider. Payton added the coaching failed as well, “You can't bullshit yourself, the head coach or anyone else.”
There was one saving grace in the form of a trick play that resulted in the Broncos' only touchdown of the day. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton completed a fake reverse pass for a touchdown to rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
After the game, Nix expressed his deep frustration of the loss and appreciation for Lamar Jackson.
“He’s a phenomenal football player, throws the ball really well. Hard to do what he does on a consistent basis,” Nix said. “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.”
“A lot of what-ifs in this game, but the face of the matter is we got our butts kicked,” Nix said postgame, per DNVR's Stevens.
Nix finished the game with 223 yards and an interception on 19-of-33 passing.
Broncos drop to 5-4
For what it's worth, Denver wasn't severely outgained. The Ravens gained 396 yards compared to the Broncos' 319. The difference was efficiency. The Ravens completed 16-of-19 passes for 269 passing yards, averaging 13.5 yards per pass attempt.
Denver killed any momentum they could have started with by going for it twice on fourth down and failing to start the game. The first drive stalled at the Ravens' 44-yard line, and Baltimore turned around and scored a touchdown. The Broncos opted to go for it on fourth down again, this time at the Baltimore 33-yard line at the start of the second quarter.
Kicker Wil Lutz has had a great start to the season, making 18-of-19 field goals, including a long of 52 yards. At a minimum, they could have attempted a field goal on the second drive that ended as a turnover on downs to reduce the Ravens' lead to 7-3. Instead, their offensive momentum fell flat on the road, and the Ravens poured it on with 24 unanswered points to finish the game.
The Broncos host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10 during Thursday Night Football on November 7 at 8:15 p.m. EST.
Follow Us
Subscribe
