Getty Teddy Bridgewater #5 of the Denver Broncos reacts after the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 12, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Teddy Bridgewater certainly didn’t have his best day as a Denver Bronco during the Week 6, 34-24 loss to Las Vegas.
The former New Orleans and Carolina signal-caller had his first multiple-interception game since joining the Broncos, in what was a demoralizing despite a rare fast start. The Broncos scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time since December 2019, tying the score at 7-7. From thereon the Raiders poured on 17 unanswered points, opening up a 24-7 lead early in the third, which ultimately proved the difference in the ball game.
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Broncos’ Offensive Failures Reappear
When it mattered most, the Broncos couldn’t produce the necessary productivity on offense to keep pace. Denver turned the ball over four times — all committed by Bridgewater — in Week 6, while the Raiders’ avoided a single giveaway. Interestingly, Las Vegas only scored one one (a touchdown) of the four possessions succeeding a Broncos turnover.
It must be contextualized, two of Bridgewater’s interceptions occurred in the final two minutes, where Denver trailed by as much as 17. Ultimately they weren’t the difference but No.5 isn’t taking them lightly. “That was a play where we expected a certain coverage from those guys, we expect them to play a certain way,” Bridgewater said, October 17, explaining the early fourth-down interception.
Picked off! Brandon Facyson is there for the INT.
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“When I just got back to the tight end [Noah Fant] (in his progression), I kind of bypassed him a little too fast and just missed a throw—a throw I make every day. It definitely hurt us because when you’re talking about momentum, coach always believes in us in those fourth-down situations, and we came up short right there. I just got to be better.”
Worryingly for the Broncos, their efficacy on their opening drive — which resulted in a touchdown — was an aberration. Denver failed to score on their next five possessions. From there, it took an extra three drives before they crossed the plane for a touchdown.
Broncos Possessions Between First and Second Touchdowns
- Interception
- Punt
- Punt
- Punt
- Punt
- Field Goal
- Fumble
.@SollyThomas90 punches it out! 🥊
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Bridgewater: Broncos Country, Keep Supporting Us
Understandably, Broncos Country are beside themselves with their team’s performance over previous weeks but Bridgewater assured media the locker room is staying strong.
“Honestly, the mood in the locker room is a group of men who are together,” Bridgewater said postgame. “It’s so easy in this league for guys to distance and huddle up in little cliques and point the finger at different people, but you don’t see it here. You see a group of men who have come together and they understand how the season can go. There’s going to be ups, there’s going to be downs, and you just got to stay together through it all.
“You got to be the same person, win or loss, and I think that’s the mindset of this team. We truly believe in each other and right now we’re coming up short, but we just keep believing. We stay together, we keep executing, keep trying to find ways to get better and we’ll chase this and move this thing into the right direction.”
As for his message to the fans, the 28-year-old was refreshingly transparent before asking Broncos Country to stick behind the team as they search for a winning formula.
“It’s kind of tough when it comes to the fans,” he said postgame. “When you win, you’re the best player in the world. When you lose, you got to hear how bad you are. At the end of the day, we just appreciate their support. Listen to them today on third downs or when guys were scoring touchdowns, they were all in.
“We felt their energy and things like that. We understand that fans are passionate about the Denver Broncos, and when you lose — of course you [don’t] want to hear about how bad you are at doing things — but at the end of the day, I just pray that they keep supporting us, keep believing in us, credit guys, understand how this thing works. We just focus on what is really important to us, the things we can control, how hard you work every day, the mindset that we have when we step into that facility and just trying to find ways to help this team win.”
The Broncos have just under 72 hours to turn their frustration into fortitude as they look to overcome the talented albeit wounded Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.
Follow Patrick Djordjevic on Twitter: @Patdjordjevic