David Berding-USA TODAY Sports
5 Bitter Takeaways From Broncos' 27-23 Collapse to the Vikings
The Denver Broncos squandered a 20-0 halftime lead, losing to the Minnesota Vikings 27-23 on Sunday. It was a tale of two halves.
I promise that'll be the last football cliche you'll get from me today.
I'm going to share with you five key, bitterly purchased takeaways from the game. Without further ado.
Victory Amnesiacs
There's no denying that the Broncos looked like two different teams on Sunday. The first-half version saw a Broncos team playing loose and confidently, like a bettor sitting down at the blackjack table playing with house money.
When you're playing with house money, you've got nothing to lose. The 3-6 Broncos played exactly like that in the first quarter.
And everything went Denver's way. The Vikings, with the exception of Brandon Allen's interception in the bottom of the second quarter, couldn't catch a break from the Football Gods.
The Vikings were embarrassed and coming out of halftime, they buckled down and got after the Broncos offensively. From questionable coaching decisions to player lapses in execution, the Broncos completely collapsed in the second half, playing timidly and stiff in defeat.
The reality is, good teams find a way to win and the bad ones find a way to lose. In the case of the Broncos, going into Minnesota as 10.5-point underdogs, their margin of error was razor-thin.
But if you give a playoff-caliber opponent an inch, as my Huddle Up Podcast co-host Zack Kelberman said so eloquently after the game, they'll take a mile. This game wasn't death by inches. It was death by miles.
The Broncos have forgotten how to win and that includes the coaching staff. This isn't the first game in which the Broncos have squandered a fourth-quarter lead only to lose.
The question is, what's it going to take in order for the Broncos to remember how to win? To understand what it takes to emerge victorious in these situations in which the chips are down?
I wish I had an answer for you.
Allen Close but No Cigar
Brandon Allen epitomized the 'house money' effect in the first half. With the exception of that interception, the Broncos' QB played very well in quarters one and two.
But in the second half, when that 20-point margin for error evaporated, Allen couldn't quite get his team over the hump. Even on the Broncos' final possession, trailing by four points, Allen received three opportunities to score at touchdown from inside the Vikings' 5-yard line.
Alas, Allen went 0-for-3 on consecutive shots to the end zone. All an NFL starting QB can ask for is an opportunity to be in the game late and to have the chance to affect the outcome. Allen got that, and then some, but failed to punch it in.
There's no question that his personality as a QB, and his skill-set, fits more closely to what OC Rich Scangarello wants to do offensively. Comparing the complexion and energy of the Broncos offense to what it was under Joe Flacco, it's clear that the 12th-year QB wasn't the right fit for Scangarello.
I'm not even saying that Allen is the right fit but he's a quantum leap closer to what Scangarello needs from his QB than Flacco. The Vikings did a good job sniffing out the Broncos' bootlegs but Allen's speed and athleticism gave his team a chance on each one.
Allen finished the day 17-of-39 passing (43.5%) for 240 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. His 61.9 QB rating tells the story of where this performance puts the discussion for the team. Close but no cigar.
Allen's effort on the road was admirable but only drew into stark focus the reality that the Broncos need to get their QB of the future out onto the field as soon as possible. If the team wants to ascribe any meaning to these mounting losses, getting Drew Lock his trial-by-fire starting experience in the NFL is now the only way to do so.
Sutton Officially a Star
Courtland Sutton was an animal for the Broncos on Sunday. He finished the game with five receptions on nine targets for 113 yards but his impact didn't end as a receiver.
Sutton's 38-yard pass to Tim Patrick in the first quarter set up the Broncos' second touchdown of the day. Sutton also chipped in 10 rushing yards on two carries.
From scrimmage, Sutton totaled 161 of the Broncos' 394 yards. For those worried that Sutton would struggle to produce in the absence of the traded Emmanuel Sanders, you can put those concerns to bed.
We're witnessing the emergence of an elite wide receiver in the NFL. All Sutton needs now is a dynamic QB to deliver him the ball. Allen's performance has been a step in the right direction but imagine what a true arm talent could do for a game-changing wideout like Sutton.
The emergence of a bonafide WR2 opposite of Sutton certainly helped. Tim Patrick made a big difference in the game, finishing with four receptions for 77 yards.
McManus Can't be Trusted in the Clutch
Once again, Brandon McManus choked when his team needed him the most. Despite hitting on all three of his previous field goal attempts, when the chips were down in the fourth quarter and the Broncos were trying to stave off a Vikings comeback, McManus missed from 43 yards out.
Only a couple of plays later, Kirk Cousins hit Kyle Rudolph for a 32-yard go-ahead touchdown. Had McManus hit that field goal, it would have given the Broncos a 26-20 lead and even if the Vikings had scored a touchdown on their ensuing possession, it would have given them just a one-point lead, which would have meant that Brandon Allen would have only needed a field goal on the Broncos' final possession, instead of a touchdown.
I question also the decision on that 3rd-&-7 before McManus missed from 43 to hand the ball off to the ice-cold Devontae Booker off the right tackle. It was a give-up play because Scangarello, or maybe Vic Fangio, decided to play not-to-lose football, believing that since the Broncos were already in field goal range, they could settle for three points. McManus' miss hopefully reinforced the reality that you can't coach that way and expect to win.
That's [John] Foxball.
Coverage Unit Exposed
The Broncos did a great job of shutting down Dalvin Cook all game long. But when the Vikings came out of halftime running the no huddle and pushing the ball through the air, the Broncos needed their secondary to come up big.
Instead, they came up small. Davontae Harris was burned for a big play down the left sideline and later a for a touchdown. Chris Harris, Jr. was torched as a well on a 54-yard scoring play that saw Cousins heave it up and Stefon Diggs run right by the four-time Pro Bowler.
Without consulting the All-22 coach's film, it's hard to say which faction deserves more blame for Denver's defensive collapse — the coaching or the execution. Upon first viewing of the game, though, I'd have to put it on the players.
It wasn't all bad for Denver defensively, as, again, they bottled up Cook, with the exception of his three-yard touchdown and one fourth-quarter screen pass that went for 20-plus yards. Shelby Harris had three sacks on the day, Todd Davis led the team with 13 tackles (eight solo) and even rookie Dre'Mont Jones notched his first career sack.
Blame the secondary for this one, especially the cornerbacks. Even Duke Dawson, Jr. got in on the skullduggery, as he was flagged for a pass interference in the second half.
In fairness, the Broncos' defensive backfield has played surprisingly well in the wake of Bryce Callahan and De'Vante Bausby ending up on injured reserve. But the collective inexperience of the cornerbacks not-named Chris Harris was laid bare in Week 11.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
