The Denver Broncos dropped their fourth game in a row after they fell short in a low-scoring affair against the Baltimore Ravens, 10-9, on the road in Week 13 of the 2022 NFL season. The Broncos actually led early in this encounter but could not score a single touchdown all game long. The Broncos are now 3-9, bringing up the rear in the AFC West. Here we'll discuss the four Broncos most to blame for their disappointing Week 13 loss vs. the Ravens.
Denver was ahead, 9-3, with less than four minutes remaining in this game. That is until the Ravens marched down the field and scored the contest's only touchdown with 31 seconds left to leave with a win. The Broncos offense, including quarterback Russell Wilson, failed yet again in this matchup. Denver's offense gained just 235 yards total, with Wilson passing for under 200 yards and getting sacked twice.
Keep in mind that Denver scored only nine points. This was the third time this season that they did not score a touchdown and the fifth time this season that they scored 10 or fewer points.
For now, let us look at the four Broncos most to blame for their Week 13 loss vs. the Ravens.
Final. pic.twitter.com/0cGbBdzlXN
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 4, 2022
4. Broncos Special Teams
The Broncos special teams fell short in this one. Denver punter Corliss Waitman averaged a decent 41.1 yards per punt, but he also recorded three sub-40-yard punts, including one for only 35 yards. That is just not good enough at this level of football.
The Broncos also need to improve their return game. Montrell Washington, their fifth-round draft pick this season, hasn't really helped in that regard. In this contest, he returned three punts for just 19 yards and two kickoffs for just 26 yards. Both are poor totals. The team may not want to give up on Washington yet, but they need to find a better kick returner for the 2023 season.
3. Endgame Defense
The Broncos defense was relied on to maintain their six-point lead after Waitman pinned the Ravens deep in their own territory with 5:02 left in the fourth quarter. However, Baltimore converted on multiple third and fourth downs. Take note as well that Denver's defense gave up 32 yards in penalties. That included a pass interference call on a crucial third down near the two-minute warning by Pat Surtain.
This marked the second time in three games that the defense has squandered a second-half lead. It's strange since the Broncos are at the top of the league in several defensive metrics this season. Still, they have repeatedly failed to execute at crucial moments.
2. OC Klint Kubiak
The Ravens' defense may not be particularly strong this season, but they still held the Broncos to nine points and no touchdowns. While not all of this can be blamed on Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak, some of his playcalling decisions were questionable. This included a 3rd-and-5 run up the middle by Mike Boone on the Ravens' side of the field that just went nowhere.
Keep in mind that the Broncos offense has scored fewer points per game under Kubiak than it did under head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Despite handing over playcalling to Kubiak a few weeks ago, the offense just has not improved.
Take note, though, that star QB Russell Wilson appears to play better when outside the pocket. We saw that by his use of rollout and play-action passes on Sunday. However, the offense still struggled to score. Denver's high-priced quarterback was unable to lead his team into the red zone. Meanwhile, Baltimore's backup quarterback led a game-winning touchdown drive. While Kubiak is not entirely to blame, he has so far failed to fix the problems with this lethargic offense.
1. QB Russell Wilson
Speaking of Wilson, he completed 17-of-22 passes for 189 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. This marks the second consecutive game in which he failed to pass reach 200 yards and the fourth time this season that he has not thrown a touchdown pass. Those are just not good looks for such a pricey QB.
Wilson's difficulties contributed to the Broncos blowing a late lead against the Ravens. Remember that Baltimore lost Lamar Jackson to a knee injury early in the game and was missing key receivers. Despite this, Denver still struggled to score points, and Tyler Huntley helped Baltimore to score the game-winning touchdown on a 16-play drive. Wilson managed to get the Broncos into position to attempt a 63-yard field goal with two seconds remaining, but the kick was unsuccessful.
There are many problems on the offensive side of the ball, making it hard to pinpoint a specific player or issue that is causing Denver's struggles. However, Wilson's huge contract is becoming a significant liability, and he deserves a significant share of the blame for the team's problems.
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