Dalton Risner Admits Broncos' Performance in Vegas was 'Unacceptable'
The Denver Broncos have now suffered back-to-back defeats. In the wake their of blowout loss to the divisional-rival Las Vegas Raiders, the Broncos have been pushed to the very brink.
While it would be easy to blame the astonishing injury list for the continued capitulations, the unescapable truth is Denver’s problems seem to be more deeply rooted.
Amid the calamity of errors in Vegas, including five turnovers, so many of the culprits were players who showed considerable promise last year. Now, those once exciting players are rapidly regressing. Most of the fan and media apathy and frustration is being directed at QB Drew Lock and the rudderless, anemic play-calling of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, but they're not alone in shouldering the blame for Sunday's embarrassment.
Second-year left guard Dalton Risner is one of those promising players trending in the wrong direction, like his friend and quarterback, as his own sophomore slump continues. Risner did not shy away from the inexplicable product the Broncos put on the field in Vegas, leading to a 37-12 blowout loss to the Raiders.
“Unacceptable. Unacceptable. That was an unacceptable performance today and we need to know that,” Risner said post-game. “It’s not that we are going to dwell on that, but I don’t care what the reasoning is. We obviously haven’t watched the film yet, we don’t know what the reasoning was, but that was unacceptable from an offensive standpoint. And we need to be much better, plain and simple. We have got to be better; we weren’t good enough today to help out our team.”
The Broncos' inability to play basic complementary football is badly hurting the undermanned defensive unit, and if the unit's second-half performance was any indication, it could finally be falling apart. With a viable shot at the playoffs all but lost, Denver is determined to learn definitively whether Lock can be the long-term answer at QB.
Based on what we've seen of late, that doesn’t bode well for the seven remaining games left on the schedule. Risner came out strongly in support of his embattled teammates, insisting that this too shall pass.
“We’re always going to keep our confidence,” Risner said. “I’ve got all the faith in the world in my quarterback, in my running backs, the offensive line, the wide receivers, and this organization. Whenever it is, there’s going to come a day where we look back on right now, today, and we’re going to be smiling saying, ‘Man, we’re glad we went through these hard times because now look at us.’ I’ve got all the faith in the world in this organization and my teammates.”
As much as one might respect Risner's faith and optimism, games like these only intensify the call for the Broncos to hit the reset button. This is the fourth straight season this team has started 3-6 in their first nine games.
Losing the fanbase is something that Risner is all too aware of and despite his positivity, only a mighty change of heart and a 180 turnaround on the grid-iron will stop the Broncos' current tailspin. Unsurprisingly, emotions are running high in the locker room amid the anger and frustration of another woeful showing and even head coach Vic Fangio could say what his team's mindset is at the moment.
“Angry and frustrated for sure,” Risner said. “Like you guys said, growing up in Broncos Country—and not only just growing up and being a big Broncos fan, but being part of this team and working with these fellas—like I said, the word is unacceptable. We need to win football games like this. We need to play better as an offense.”
As the Broncos continue to slam headfirst into their own stark failures, the reality is that it may get a lot worse before it gets any better. Next up, the Broncos will host the surging Miami Dolphins who are 3-0 with Tua Tagovailoa under center.
How much worse could things get in Denver? At this stage, it's anyone's guess.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
