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When a team that has won three out of four games to start the season invades a team heading in the opposite direction, it may be predictable that urgency isn’t at the utmost high — and such was the fate for the Denver Broncos, as a slow start doomed them in a Week 5 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers, October 10.
The Broncos (3-2) have now dropped two-straight games, and in each contest, they suffered from slow starts and self-inflicted wounds.
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Sleepy Starts
Like the previous defeat in Week 4 to the Baltimore Ravens, October 3, the Broncos seemed to sleepwalk through the first half. Whether it was the defense allowing the Steelers to march right down the field for a touchdown to start the game, or the offense playing sluggishly in big spots — specifically on third downs — the Broncos have a real problem on their hands.
Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons noticed an alarming trend — a trend the team needs to reverse.
“We’ve played five games, and I think something like four of five first drives, we’ve pretty much let up a touchdown, I think,” Simmons said during the team’s post-game media access. “It’s about urgency. Starting the game off [fast], that’s when you have to execute.”
Head coach Vic Fangio must’ve drilled that message to his team in the locker room, immediately following the loss, as he lamented the slow starts in recent weeks.
“Obviously we have to start better,” bemoaned Fangio. “We can’t wait to catch up.”
A tweet by Zac Stevens of @DNVR_Broncos summed up the Broncos’ experience perfectly.
The Steelers (2-3) jumped out to a 17-6 halftime lead, mainly on the strength of Denver miscues. There was the terrible third-down conversion rate (the Broncos finished a putrid 2-of-12 in that category), there were also costly miscues in pass protection, and silly penalties — including running back Javonte Williams‘s 15-yard flag for spiking the football after a 49-yard run that nearly got him into the end zone. What would’ve been first-and-goal from the Pittsburgh two-yard line, pushed Denver back and made scoring a touchdown that much harder. The Broncos ended up settling for a short field goal by kicker Brandon McManus, midway through the second quarter.
George Stoia, of the Denver Gazette, noted that the rookie running back was unaware that such a rule of spiking the ball sans scoring a touchdown would result in a 15-yard delay of game penalty.
Regardless of the rule, the Broncos didn’t do themselves any justice by the cavalier manner in which they started.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who did everything he could during the week, just to make it back to the lineup after being in concussion protocol, seemed to lament Denver’s slow start more than any other factor.
“There’s a lot to learn from. We just got to be better, start faster. We’ve been preaching that over the last couple weeks and today it caught up to us. It’s hard to win a game like that,” Bridgewater said. “We can’t wait until the game is out of hand to have a sense of urgency. We got to come out shooting the way we played in that fourth quarter. … We can’t wait for the game to come to us.”
Slipped Through Their Fingers
Avoidable miscues were the special of the afternoon for the Broncos. Linebacker Alexander Johnson dropped a certain interception late in the first half, while cornerback Kyle Fuller was flagged for pass interference on very next play, placing the ball on the Broncos’ one-yard line. The Steelers scored on the next play.
Defensive end Dre’Mont Jones was called for ‘leverage’ with roughly 3:00 remaining in the third quarter, as the Steelers nailed a 50-yard field goal. Naturally, Pittsburgh accepted the penalty, continued the drive, and eventually scored another touchdown — this coming after Johnson dropped yet another sure interception deep in Denver territory. Two plays later, the Steelers scored another touchdown, capping a 14-play, 86-yard drive.
Andrew Mason, of @DNVR_Sports, tweeted his frustration at lost opportunities.
While Simmons admitted those mistakes are harmful, he wasn’t about to lay blame.
“Dropped picks, those things happen sometimes. It’s never pointing the finger. The other things, those are fixable,” Simmons said. “We just got to be able to play better. … Same with whoever the penalty was on the field goal … it’s never just one guy.”
The Broncos must now regroup for the second-straight week and avoid the apathy that usually accompanies such a stretch. Simmons said, as a team leader, the onus is on him to get guys to refocus and not let 2020-type doubt take over the collective mindset.
“If it means higher energy [throughout the week of practice], that’s what it takes. Whatever that takes. It’s gonna take what it’s gonna take,” Simmons reasoned. “We had too good a start to start settling and let things creep in. The urgency has to be there.”
Follow Tony Williams on Twitter: @TBone8
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