Getty The Denver Broncos' offense has sputtered during its four-game losing streak, but Broncos Country shouldn't solely look at quarterback Teddy Bridgewater as the main reason.
As much as Broncos Country wants to replace starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, the real issue isn’t the sagging play of the Denver Broncos‘ leading man.
Bridgewater’s chariot has apparently turned into a pumpkin, following the team’s skeptical 3-0 start, but the real issue with the struggling offense is not solely on the journey man signal caller.
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Bridgewater’s numbers on the 2021 season are actually pretty good — it’s just the recent four-game slide that has Broncos Country in a tizzy and ready to move on to backup, and former starter, Drew Lock.
Most of the Glory and Most of the Blame
It comes with the territory of being an NFL quarterback that the position receives a majority of the glory during the good times, and a majority of the blame during the bad times. Yes, Bridgewater’s play hasn’t been up to par during this recent four-game losing streak, but his overall play in 2021 is still a major upgrade to what the team experienced in the years since Peyton Manning retired.
Bridgewater’s season so far has featured 1,701 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 99.5 rating. The picks have all come during the losing streak, save for the Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when Bridgewater was knocked out of the game following a concussion-inducing hit at the end of the first half. Bridgewater didn’t commit a single turnover in Denver’s opening three wins — albeit, against the league’s also-rans.
The veteran is self-aware and knows he must play better, but believes the offense can make strides once it gets guys back healthy again.
“We want to get this thing turned around,” Bridgewater said immediately following their lackluster Week 7 effort in a Thursday night primetime matchup at the Cleveland Browns. “We get a couple days off and get some guys healthy and try and do it again in 10 days.”
The quarterback also lamented the slow starts, highlighting the scoreless opening half against the Browns.
“We can’t keep waiting until the second half,” he said. “We got to play fast, and make our opponents feel us. It’s been the same story the past couple of weeks.”
O-Line Woes
Despite today’s NFL rules geared towards hindering the defense, there’s still ways to disrupt the offense and bring production to a halt. And even if a team has a superstar at quarterback, without a credible offensive line, there’s very little he can do, as Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs found out in their Super Bowl loss, February 2021.
So, if a budding all-timer can sometimes look ordinary, then Bridgewater is no different. The Broncos’ offensive line was thought to have promise entering the 2021 season, but has been in shambles during this current skid. Denver is second in average yards needed on third down, with eight — only the Minnesota Vikings have been worse (8.3). An average of 3rd-and-8 is not going to get it done.
Bridgewater is the type of quarterback that needs a hearty rushing attack and a game plan that stays on script, meaning, he’s unlikely to thrive when it’s third-and-long. Success on first and second downs are vital to his — and the offense’s — production. The Broncos are currently 11th in yards per carry and 10th in total rushing yards, but those numbers are boosted by a few long runs — most notably from rookie Javonte Williams, who tallied a 31-yard run against the Ravens, a 49-yarder the following week against the Steelers, and a 30-yarder against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6, that featured a spectacular hurdle.
🚨Javonte Williams hurdle 🚨
📺: CBS
The running game has churned out 749 rushing yards on 164 carries (not including kneel-downs), but 180 of those yards came on four lengthy jaunts. The offense currently sports a 4.57 yards per carry average, but 46% of that production have come at the detriment of carries that gained two yards or fewer.
Simply put, the offensive line needs to help Bridgewater stay out of long down-and-distance situations, because he’s not that type of quarterback who can routinely convert those downs.
Help is on the way
When Bridgewater mentioned guys needing to return healthy, he had to have had wideout Jerry Jeudy in mind. The dynamic wideout hasn’t been in the lineup since the third quarter of the September 12 season opener, when he injured his ankle in a win over the New York Giants. Jeudy was soon placed on designated-to-return IR and had to miss a minimum of three weeks.
There’s hope, though, that Jeudy, who was finally taken off the short-term list on October 16, will return to the starting lineup against the Washington Football Team, October 31.
The re-addition of Jeudy should be a boon to the sagging offense. He appeared to be on his way to stacking together another promising season, as he led the Broncos in receiving in the 2021 opener with six catches for 72 yards. The 2020 campaign, Jeudy’s maiden voyage, featured a respectable 52 receptions for 856 yards and three touchdowns, as he was thrust into the WR1 role once primary receiver Courtland Sutton was lost for the season with a torn ACL in a Week 2 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Follow Tony Williams on Twitter: @TBone8