The Denver Broncos lost to the New England Patriots 26-23 on Christmas Eve, which essentially ends the team’s hopes of reaching the NFL playoffs. Here are five quick takeaways from the disappointing game.
1
Sean Payton had a bad game
From play calling to game management, that might have been Sean Payton’s worst game with the Broncos. Early in the contest, the Broncos faced a 4th-and-goal from New England’s two-yard line with the game tied 0-0. Instead of kicking a short field goal, Payton opted to go for it and Denver failed to score. Hindsight is 20-20, of course, but those three points could have come in handy later in the game.
When the game was tied late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots seemed content to take the game to overtime, but Payton used his timeouts, giving New England enough time to get into field goal range and win the game. Payton probably wishes he had those timeouts back now.
2
Javonte Williams continues to struggle
Williams’ early-game touchdown run was encouraging, but he finished the game with an average of 2.2 yards per carry, and he tripped over a guard’s leg on another play that could have been a touchdown. After averaging 2.3 yards per carry last week, Williams is trending in the wrong direction as the regular season winds down. The 23-year-old running back is coming off a serious knee injury, so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for a bounce-back year in 2024, but Williams hasn’t looked like his pre-injury self this season.
3
Russell Wilson was outplayed by Bailey Zappe
The 16-point fourth-quarter comeback that tied the game was exciting, but it turned out to be fool’s gold in the end. Denver got in a 16-point hole in part because Wilson couldn’t get the offense going through the first three quarters. And with the game on the line with a chance to win it in the fourth, Wilson went three-and-out. He finished the game with the same amount of touchdown passes (two) as Bailey Zappe with 18 fewer passing yards (238), three more sacks (five) and one more fumble (two) than his counterpart. It seems safe to assume Zappe won’t be New England’s starting quarterback in Week 1 next season. Time will tell if Wilson remains a Bronco beyond the 2023 season.
4
Courtland Sutton's concussion sank Denver's offense
Denver’s offense couldn’t get anywhere for three quarters after Sutton left early with a concussion. There were multiple occasions when Wilson threw a prayer up in the general direction of a receiver — the kind of throw that we’ve seen Sutton catch countless times this year — and it ended up incomplete. Sutton is clearly Wilson’s favorite target, and he was missed on Sunday.
5
The Broncos didn't deserve to make the playoffs anyway
Mathematically and technically, the Broncos aren’t out of the playoff hunt yet, but it would take a near-miracle for them to get in. Practically, the season is over. Maybe that’s a good thing. Denver fans won’t soon forget the 70-20 loss in Miami or the 42-17 loss in Detroit. The Dolphins and Lions are real contenders this year, the caliber of team the Broncos would have faced if they did make the playoffs. Did fans really want to see Denver get embarrassed in the Wild Card round in January? If the Broncos can’t beat a 3-11 Patriots team led by Bailey Zappe, they don’t deserve a playoff berth.
