Kiz: Well, the Broncos really dropped the ball in Las Vegas, eh? And we’re talking about more than running back Melvin Gordon’s chronic case of fumble-itis. This team has issues. But Denver also has a 2-2 record, the same as a dozen other NFL teams, including everyone from mighty Tom Brady and the Bucs to lightly regarded Jacksonville, which won only three times last year. You are what your record says you are. But which way are the mediocre Broncos trending after one month of the season?
Gabriel: Probably depends on which way you view the offense, but it’s difficult to say with confidence at this point that Denver is pointed in the right direction. The line of thinking from players and staff has been, largely, that this is a big learning process. What have they learned through four weeks? Maybe it’s that letting Russell Wilson loose more often is their best chance. Maybe it’s that they don’t have quite the set of skill talent — especially given the injury situation — that they thought they had. Whatever it is, some progress showed Sunday but it still came with far too much inconsistency. The kind that threatens to hold a team in mediocrity.
Kiz: The Raiders bullied the Broncos in the trenches, with Josh Jacobs running wild. But know what was even more galling? Our old pal Josh McDaniels outcoached Nathaniel Hackett with a smarter game plan and more effective adjustments. After a month on the Denver sideline, Hackett looks like … a nice guy who really misses Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Do you see signs Hackett can handle the big responsibilities and subtle nuances of being a head coach?
Gabriel: He took a decisive step and hired Jerry Rosburg to try to clean up the mess in game management and in the two games with the former Baltimore Ravens coach in the box and on the headset, there have been fewer viral moments. That’s … good? The Broncos still talk like a group that’s tight, too, the credit for which goes at least partly to Hackett and his staff, though prolonged struggles will test even strong bonds. They’re playing like a team still searching for an identity, though, and that’s a tough way to make a living.
Kiz: After the Broncos traded for Wilson, I recall general manager George Paton saying he made the blockbuster deal because he believed the team had already built a foundation of talent to support a veteran quarterback with Super Bowl aspirations. Well, what I’ve seen so far is Wilson trying to bail out the Broncos in the fourth quarter. Does DangeRuss have enough teammates he can trust? At this point, I see Wilson having to do too much heavy lifting to carry Denver to a playoff berth.
Gabriel: When Courtland Sutton caught three passes — including a 15-yard slant on Denver’s first play and a five-yard touchdown to open the visitors’ scoring — on the first two drives Sunday, I thought, “He’s going to have a monster day.” Then Wilson went from the 8:50 mark of the second quarter to the 9:50 mark of the fourth without targeting him once. Meanwhile, Derek Carr force-fed the ball to Davante Adams even with a budding star corner often draped all over him. But the Raiders also had a consistent run game to lean on. Denver didn’t. Either the Broncos aren’t figuring out enough ways to get Sutton the ball or defenses feel free to dedicate resources to taking him away because the offense lacks other fear-striking options.
