The Denver Broncos are now 3-8 on the season and the level of frustration fans have with the organization has never been greater. After an offseason filled with promises of “swagger” and “juice” on all sides of the ball, this week’s loss to the Oakland Raiders sinks the Broncos to a historically low point in the franchise’s existence.
One of the aspects of the Broncos’ offseason that fans were most excited about was a three-headed monster at running back that would see C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker and former All-Pro Jamaal Charles lead the Broncos offense to a consistent ground attack.
Sunday, under newly promoted offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, the Broncos’ offense did nothing to keep the team relevant in 2017. With the AFC West suddenly wide open after another Kansas City loss, Denver failed to capitalize on an opportunity to get back in the race.
In the 21-14 loss to the Raiders, the Broncos rushed for a measly 36 yards between the three running backs. In a game that was supposed to be former first-round pick Paxton Lynch‘s chance to prove himself as a franchise quarterback, the running game did nothing to support its young quarterback. This time, the coaching staff was equally to blame for the lack of production as the players.
Anderson saw only five carries, despite the game being a two-score contest until midway through the third quarter. He finished the afternoon with 12 yards rushing.
Devontae Booker contributed only 11 yards on the ground, with his biggest highlight being a catch that was initially ruled a touchdown and then ruled down at the one-yard line. (A Lynch interception in the end zone would ultimately waste the gain.)
Charles had three touches for 10 yards (one carry for three yards and a pair of receptions for a net of seven yards).
Rookie running back De’Angelo Henderson, who was dubbed as a “Darren Sproles type” player coming out of the draft, remained inactive with only one carry on the year.
The Broncos signed Charles to utilize his pass-catching and run-breaking abilities to complement Anderson’s “workhorse” skill set. Charles took away valuable playing time from what could have been experience for younger players like Booker and Henderson.
The offensive line struggled once again, committing unnecessary, drive-killing penalties in both run- and pass-blocking scenarios. Despite the season-long struggles the offensive line has had, the unit’s strength has been in run blocking. Yet the Broncos abandoned the run and chose to continue with a passing attack.
The “quarterback of the future,” Lynch, who was already coming off an injury to begin the season, embarrassingly led the team with 20 yards rushing before he left the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
The attention from this game will be focused on the quarterback situation, which is as big a mess as it ever has been in Denver, but the poor play at quarterback is just one of many things wrong with this offense.
The Broncos’ season is far over after yet another loss. Expect much change to occur in the offseason as the team prepares for a major rebuild. The running back position might just be towards the top of that list, as the results from this season — and this game in particular — are far from acceptable.
