3 Disheartening Takeaways from Broncos' Two-TD Loss to Raiders
Even though the season finale was a glorified exhibition game, the Denver Broncos playing with some pride on Sunday afternoon vs. the Las Vegas Raiders would be a harbinger of the team's 2024 trajectory. The Broncos snapping their losing streak to the success-starved Raiders, which spans four seasons, needed to be a serious order of business for head coach Sean Payton.
Alas, the Broncos were dealt with by the Raiders, 27-14. It was the final bleeding out of a team that was far too error-prone to overcome adversity.
What else did we learn from the Broncos' eighth straight loss to the Raiders? Let's get into the takeaways from Denver ending this season with a massive whimper and a shrug.
Jarrett Stidham isn't It
Two late-season starts for Stidham is familiar territory for the former Raiders backup, but in truth, the Broncos will hopefully realize that he should be given back his clipboard and spot on the sideline. Sticking with Stidham next year would deliver further diminishing results, and Payton didn't return to the NFL coaching ranks to lose another year of his comeback.
Sure, the 27-year-old Stidham has some arm talent, but his overall limitations make him an unviable long-term option. In Stidham's defense, the pressure that Maxx Crosby and company applied all day hardly gave the quarterback a chance to step into his throws.
However, if the Broncos are going to get serious about winning, they must be bold, brave, and creative and get a young talented quarterback under center as soon as possible. We can now safely say that Stidham is not that guy.
Silver Lining to Another Loss in the Black Hole
Every single spot the Broncos could climb up the 2024 NFL draft order was pure gold dust. Denver is now projected to pick at No. 12 in the first round, which won't guarantee one of the higher-profile QB prospects, but it puts the team within striking distance.
Sometimes quarterbacks drop into a team's lap, and while Broncos fans will dream, Payton will be dealing with some harsh realities. Multiple other sister needs exist on both sides of the ball and must be filled, so make no bones about it — the salary-cap-strapped Broncos will be seriously stretched.
The fallout from the Broncos' failed marriage to Russell Wilson will settle in. Hopefully, coughing up a meaningless game to the Raiders will become a footnote, especially if it somehow lucks Denver into a solution under center.
Pressure Mounts on Payton After Wilson Benching
If Payton was confident that the Broncos would be a playoff team, then he got his initial evaluations seriously wrong. Sunday's two-touchdown loss only re-emphasized how far this team is away from being a genuine contender.
Hamstrung by recurring limitations on offense and defense, Payton has to look into the mirror to reckon with his coaching performance over Year 1. Just how disjointed the Broncos looked in Week 18 speaks volumes of a team that has struggled to fall in line with the identity Payton wanted them to assume.
Wilson sits at the top of the Broncos' list of disgruntled employees, and how Payton goes about picking up the pieces has made his seat a few degrees warmer than he perhaps could have imagined only a few months ago. That's not to say that Payton's job is in danger; far from it, based on what we know.
But Payton opens the 2024 offseason under a fair amount of pressure and scrutiny in the wake of his controversial decision to bench Wilson.
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