Malik Jackson on the wheels coming off:
“It is what it is. All we can do is go out there and stop their offense. That’s what we tried to do. I think we did a good job of that today, but they’ve got firepower too and they’ve got a good defense and it’s one of those things that they just won the battle today.”
“It is what it is” is essentially code for “Not my fault.” And it’s clear that Malik Jackson believes just that when he proceeds to tell the media that the defense did everything they were supposed to do; it was the offense that lost the battle on Sunday.
And how can you blame him? He was fantastic against the Raiders, scoring his second best grade (2.8) of the season according to Pro Football Focus.
The bigger question, though, is what do these defensive players start saying if the Broncos fall to the Steelers this weekend and a A.J. McCarron-led Bengals the next week? What do they say if the Broncos lose in the Wild Card Round 10-6?
I’m worried that there starts to be a divide in that locker room. I’m worried that this defense will lose all trust in their counterparts and that the worst is only yet to come. Right now, the guys on the defensive side of the locker room are fighting for each other; what happens when they start fighting amongst each other?
