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The Denver Broncos Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals is one they wish they could get back, especially considering the scary injury suffered to starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. While the subsequent updates to Bridgewater's status have been encouraging, his loss was a real scare during the tough loss against the Bengals.
The entire offense was suspect in Week 15. The tandem of Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon that combined for 184 rushing yards and three touchdowns in Week 14 was held to just 125 yards on 30 carries and zero touchdowns in Week 15. Prior to sustaining the injury, Bridgewater hadn't fared well either. The QB completed just 12-of-22 pass attempts for 98 yards and didn't record a touchdown. In his stead, Drew Lock was equally shaky, getting a fumble stripped out of his hands and completing just 6-of-12 passes for 88 yards and a TD. It was a sloppy performance from just about everyone offensively, and there are lots of areas to work on heading into Week 16.
With that in mind, the 7-7 Broncos are in desperate need of a win when they travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders in Week 16, so here are some key Broncos Week 15 takeaways from their loss to the Bengals.
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Denver Broncos Week 15 Takeaways
3. The Defense will carry this team
Regardless of what the offense produces, you can count on the Broncos defense to keep the team in the game. As they showed on Sunday, they're capable of taking some of the game's best playmakers and making them seem practically invisible. They shut down JaMarr Chase on Sunday and completely stalled Joe Mixon, both of whom have been elite in terms of production in 2021. Surrendering 15 points against a potent Bengals offense is nothing to hang your head about, and the Broncos defenders should look to pick up where they left off when they take on the Raiders, who will be entering play on a short rest.
With the likes of Brandon Chubb and Patrick Surtain II leading the charge, the Broncos defense looks more formidable now than it did when Von Miller was still in the fold.
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2. It's time to feed Javonte Williams
Javonte Williams is the clear running back of the future in Denver, yet rather than give him the lead running back role, the rookie has often played second fiddle to Melvin Gordon. While Gordon is having a decent season, the veteran has been banged up and dealing with various injuries throughout the year. The Broncos should consider that and use this as an opportunity to increase Williams' workload, while also preserving the health of Gordon down the stretch. Williams has proven more than capable of producing when the backfield is his alone, and he still puts up numbers while splitting touches with Gordon.
The Broncos should definitely keep Gordon in the mix for carries, as this is a team that loves to run the football, but giving Williams the lions' share of the carries and letting Gordon come in on third down situations could be the recipe to success in that backfield. Williams is a young back eager to get as many touches as he can handle, and the Broncos should have no problem upping his workload if it means they can simultaneously preserve the health of their seasoned veteran.
1. Drew Lock cannot be trusted
Drew Lock did throw a touchdown in his brief appearance on Sunday, but he also recorded a tremendously embarrassing turnover, that was only outdone by the equally wild turnover that occurred moments later on the very same play. After Lock had the ball taken — literally grabbed — from his hands, the Bengals began running the ball the other way before they too coughed it up. Lock was able to get a few nice throws off, but his display was ultimately concerning and his turnover was unacceptable, despite Denver getting the ball back.
It's unclear how long Teddy Bridgewater will be sidelined after the scary injury that saw the quarterback hospitalized on Sunday night, but the longer the team needs to rely on Lock, the less optimistic they should be about sniffing the playoffs. This season, Lock has has only seen limited opportunity, with Sunday marking his third appearance of the year. Across 40 pass attempts this season, Lock has 227 passing yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a pair of fumbles. Not exactly encouraging showings from the former second-round pick, especially if Bridgewater is forced to miss multiple weeks.
