The Denver Broncos traveled to Sin City over the week for a division matchup against the Raiders. As a result, the Broncos got handed their second loss of the season and a few new long-term issues. Here are my takeaways.
The Seasons Over
Not to over exaggerate or anything, but this game essentially brought all hope, or whatever was left, to a screeching halt. Most notably in the form of a season-ending Javonte Williams injury.
Javonte Williams has been incredibly successful dating back to last season. Losing him now eliminates that double threat in the Bronco’s offense of being able to attack on the ground and in the air. This is really inopportune timing as well since it felt like in this game the chemistry between Russell Wilson and the Broncos offense was finally coming together.
Melvin Gordon will be the go-to for the Bronco’s rushing attack. There are certainly worse options, but it is a downgrade. While Melvin Gordon clearly has shown that he is capable of being a great running back at times in the past; lately this has not been the case. Broncos fans all around are rooting for him to succeed, but he has been addicted to fumbling the football recently.
All things considered, I’m going to have Melvin Gordon’s back no matter what as long as he is wearing a Broncos uniform. Who knows, maybe he will go out and have the season of his life now that Denver is counting on him more than ever.
Improvements
While this game was a loss, there were positive notes to be taken from this game. Most notably, the offense looked the best it has all season. Russell Wilson has 237 passing yards with 3 touchdowns, one of which coming on the ground. It was good to see Russell Wilson finally use his legs and run a little. It felt like he would be really hesitant to go past the line scrimmage the first 3 games. Obviously, the more running Russell does the greater risk of injury, but it’s good to see him not be afraid to break off some runs for positive yards here and there.
It also appears the sideline communication issues have largely improved since the first game.
23 points certainly isn’t an offensive spectacle in the NFL. Seeing improvements in areas that were frustrating fans gives hope for the future. Fans won’t be satisfied however till these improvements lead to wins.
How will this age
The Broncos had a lot of opportunities to win this game but failed to take advantage of those. Despite their 0-3 record coming into this game, the Raiders are still a good team. I don’t think NFL fans were convinced heading into this game that the Raider’s record reflected their talent. Las Vegas is going to pick off more teams as the season progresses and this loss might look different when we reflect on it at the end of the season.
Next Week
The Broncos will play the Colts in primetime this Thursday to start week 5. This is a must-win game for the Broncos. The Colts are not a strong team this year and there should be no excuse to lose to them. Especially having another division game against the chargers in week 6, the Broncos must capitalize on these games that on paper should be wins.
Scramble Sports 
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