The Denver Broncos have had themselves a few bad weeks to start the 2022 NFL season, but losing to their division rival Las Vegas Raiders has made things downright miserable. While the Raiders came into the matchup without a win on the season, the Broncos were unable to keep them winless. To make things even more frustrating, for a majority of the game, Denver had multiple opportunities to take and keep the lead. But for a fourth week straight, the Broncos struggled to capitalize on great opportunities. In a game that featured two offenses struggling to find an identity, Vegas ultimately got the upper hand. Unfortunately, Denver finds itself still longing for a somewhat competent offense. Let's discuss some takeaways from the Broncos' Week 4 loss in Vegas.
Losing Javonte Williams for the season will significantly hurt Broncos
During the game against the Raiders, running back Javonte Williams suffered a season-ending ACL tear, plus more knee damage. There has not been much going right for the Broncos on offense, but Williams was one of the few bright spots.
Some might argue that running backs are “a dime a dozen” in the NFL right now. While that is somewhat true, Williams' absence will certainly hinder Denver's offense even more. Williams has been a miniature bowling ball for the Broncos who has been consistently breaking tackles and making huge plays. He also really hasn't had issues with fumbling, unlike his teammate Melvin Gordon.
Gordon, who has fumbled in each of the Broncos' matchups this season, is now the next man up for the run game. To address the loss of Williams, the Broncos signed Latavius Murray from the New Orleans Saints' practice squad. Until Murray gets acquainted in Denver, Gordon and Mike Boone will continue the Broncos' “run-game by committee” approach. It will be interesting to see if the Broncos will place full confidence in Gordon after his fumbling issues this season.
The offensive line is a serious liability
For the first three weeks, Nathaniel Hackett and Russell Wilson were getting a good chunk of the blame for the Broncos' poor performance on offense. While they do deserve some of the blame, there hasn't been much talk about how poorly the offensive line has been performing. In Denver's awful Week 4 loss, the offensive line was one of the worst-performing units. Wilson consistently had the pocket crumble around him, and he had almost zero time to make throws on multiple drives. Yes, quarterbacks need to know how to get the ball out fast, but they should have enough time to get through their progressions. The Raiders' Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones seemed to give the Broncos' offensive line fits.
On top of poor offensive line play, they seem to make things worse with way too many drive-killing holding penalties. Garett Bolles, Wilson's blindside protector, has significantly declined since signing a contract extension a few seasons ago. Quinn Meinerz, who is probably the Broncos' best lineman, has been in and out because of lingering injuries. While the offensive line has endured some shuffling around due to injuries, the replacements have been struggling as of late.
Death
Taxes
Holding, Offense, Number 72— Ryan Greene 📷 (@RyanGreeneDNVR) October 2, 2022
What exactly can be done about this line? If the below-average play isn't addressed sooner rather than later, expect there to be little improvement with Denver's offense. The offense will only go as far as the offensive line allows it to go.
Russell Wilson is not the problem (so far)
Lots of Broncos fans have been looking for someone to place the blame on for the offensive ineptitude. Quarterback Russell Wilson is the new man on the scene, and as mentioned before, is getting a good amount of the blame.
Believe it or not, Wilson is not the biggest issue, nor has he been performing poorly. It should be mentioned that there is room for improvement in his performance, but he certainly hasn't been horrible. Yes, the offense has been stagnant and Wilson's stats certainly don't jump off the page. But in the game against the Raiders, Wilson threw for 237 yards, had one rushing and two passing touchdowns, and a passer rating of 124.9. That's not a bad stat line, despite the final outcome of the game.
GO LONG!
📺: CBS
pic.twitter.com/8m7CL6NhVn— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 2, 2022
Honestly, Wilson needs a little bit of help. This could be through better play calling, better performances from his pass catchers, and better protection from his offensive line. Again, Wilson is not blame-free for the Broncos' woes. But he certainly doesn't deserve the majority of it. There are lots of contributing factors to Denver's struggles right now. If the Broncos want any chance at making a run in the insane AFC West, they need to address these problems quickly.
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