3. Denver Broncos
Do not adjust your screen—this is really a Denver Broncos appearance.
It’s always easy to brush off certain performances because of the other team’s woes, or that the numbers don’t burn a hole through Gimme-Stats dot com. But what Denver achieved on Sunday, against the Chargers, goes beyond a nutty final pass interference and a game-winning field goal.
Nothing has gone right for the Broncos for…well, for more than just 2019. They’ve had injuries, players not stepping up, and a general stall-out of the franchise engine. However, Sunday’s game was one of the moments in the NFL—yes, the Oliver Stone Award—where a team did some of the smaller things pretty darn well, and put themselves in a position to win a football game. (Any. Given. Sunday.)
The Broncos’ O-line was the example against the Chargers. Drew Lock, rookie QB getting the nod, probably looking at the defense the way a novice investor reads the NYSE ticker, would need one big help: Keep the pressure off me! And the Broncos’ front obliged, holding the protection and not surrendering a sack all game.
The running game would need to help out Lock, too, which also meant opening lanes and getting to the second level. Again, the Broncos’ line did their part, allowing the offense to resemble a somewhat balanced attack.
Finally, the mistakes would need to be limited—and the Broncos only had three penalties the entire game.
Elijah Wilkinson, Garrett Boiles, Dalton Risner, Ronald Leary, and Connor McGovern: A win in the NFL is a win the NFL. But this one will forever be remembered by Drew Lock.