Broncos offense struggled, but defense wasn’t much better in loss to Baltimore

The last insult for the Broncos connected a maddening Sunday day that started with truthful overmuch optimism came successful the last infinitesimal of a 23-7 seemed-more-lopsided-than-it-was nonaccomplishment to Baltimore.

As the fans dressed successful orangish and bluish filed retired to combat traffic, Ravens fans remained and serenaded their players, each different and the Broncos with their accepted “Seven Nations Army” hype song.

Yep, successful their stadium, the Broncos had to perceive to different team’s chant, a sucker punch to extremity a gut-punch benignant of time erstwhile they mislaid backmost Teddy Bridgewater to a first-half concussion, failed to make a turnover, surrendered 5 sacks, allowed 405 yards, went 3 of 14 connected 3rd down and punted 10 times.

That 3-0 start? Semi-forgotten.

That optimism astir the offense? Semi-doubted.

And that assurance successful the NFL’s apical defense? Semi-erased.

The Ravens came to municipality and showed the Broncos however perennial playoff teams bash it.

“Extremely disappointing,” information Justin Simmons said. “We knew however important this was, particularly to beryllium astatine location and play a squad similar Baltimore. We knew what the stakes were.”

The stakes, successful the strategy of a 17-game season, were minor. The Broncos are inactive 3-1 and could beryllium tied for the AFC West pb if Las Vegas loses Monday nighttime astatine the Los Angeles Chargers. The Raiders (3-0) and Arizona (4-0) are the league’s lone unbeaten teams.

But the stakes should beryllium ramped up this week.

Coach Vic Fangio’s archetypal 2 seasons fell isolated with four- and three-game losing streaks to commencement the season. Minutes aft losing to the Ravens, helium was already laying the groundwork for adjacent Sunday’s travel to Pittsburgh and avoiding a snowball-effect streak.

“We’re connected to the adjacent game,” Fangio said. “We can’t person a hangover from this game. We (need to) get our absorption backmost starting (Monday).”

Who their starting backmost is whitethorn not beryllium decided until Friday arsenic Bridgewater goes done the concussion protocol. Drew Lock entered aft halftime and was 12-of-21 passing for 113 yards.

What should beryllium concerning, though, erstwhile Fangio surveys the wreckage, is however his usually-reliable defence made excessively galore mistakes and didn’t make immoderate takeaways.

The Broncos entered allowing per-game averages of 59.3 rushing yards, 162.3 passing yards and 8.7 points.

Baltimore ran up 102 yards rushing, 304 yards passing and 5 scoring drives (two touchdowns and 3 tract goals).

Sure, backmost Lamar Jackson didn’t tally chaotic (28 yards), but helium made up for that by completing 22 of 37 passes.

“They fundamentally had their way,” Broncos extracurricular linebacker Von Miller said.

But not initially.

As pugnacious arsenic it came to comprehend successful garbage time, the Broncos took a 7-0 pb (tight extremity Noah Fant three-yard touchdown catch) 42 seconds into the 2nd 4th and were wrong 2 possessions until the last 1:51.

It lone seemed similar the Ravens had a 30-point lead.

The momentum created by Broncos moving backmost Javonte Williams’ 31-yard rumble and Fant’s touchdown was fleeting. Like less-than-three-minutes-of-game-time fleeting.

The Ravens answered the Broncos’ touchdown with a 49-yard thunderbolt — Jackson’s weaponry that receiver Marquise Brown dove to drawback successful the extremity zone.

Jackson had 3.63 seconds to propulsion and Brown got unfastened erstwhile Simmons flipped his hips outside, putting him retired of presumption arsenic Brown ran the heavy post.

“More method than blown coverage,” Fangio said. “We weren’t heavy capable backmost there. It shouldn’t happen, but springiness them credit. (Throwing deep) is what they bash and they bushed america connected it.”

It was the longest play allowed by the Broncos’ defence this year.

“Miscommunication with (safety) Kareem (Jackson),” Simmons said. “I expected immoderate help, but that’s wherefore I’m talking astir connection each week. And (if) there’s a fewer connection mishaps wrong the secondary similar that, plays similar that volition happen.”

The Ravens had plentifulness of those chunk plays. Jackson had completions of 49, 32, 32, 24, 20 and 17 yards.

“The guys successful the (secondary), we had to measurement up and marque much plays than we did,” Simmons said. “You tin beryllium bully connected 80% of the plays and it lone takes the 1 oregon 2 (others) that truly are game-changers.”

In turn, the defence couldn’t nutrient the play that turned the game. They had 3 sacks, but didn’t unit a fumble. They had 5 walk break-ups, but nary interceptions.

“I ever speech astir the biggest accent is takeaways and being capable to acceptable up our discourtesy connected a abbreviated tract against a bully defense,” Simmons said.

Now we’ll statesman to find retired what this Broncos squad is truly made of. In Weeks 1-3 they showed they could grip struggling teams. Now we’ll spot if they tin get close connected the roadworthy against a hopeless Steelers team.

“We person to respond,” Miller said. “We person to rack (the wins) up. We’ve got a pugnacious Pittsburgh squad successful Pittsburgh, we request that (game).”

Broncos’ violative struggles

After 3 solid, if unspectacular performances by the Broncos discourtesy to statesman the season, everything crushed to a halt Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens astatine Empower Field. The ball-control benignant that produced the NFL’s champion mean clip of possession (36:16) ne'er materialized successful the 23-7 loss. The result: 10 punts, a trio of three-and-outs and lone 2 possessions longer than six plays. A look astatine the damage:

* Drew Lock astatine quarterback