The Miami Dolphins dominated the Denver Broncos in a convincing 70-20 blowout on Sunday afternoon. Here are eight quick takeaways from the ugly game.
1
Safety depth was exposed
The Broncos were without Justin Simmons (hip) on Sunday and it showed. In addition to Simmons being out, Denver is also missing Caden Sterns (knee) and P.J. Locke (leg), leaving Kareem Jackson and Delarrin Turner-Yell as the two starting safeties against Miami.
Turner-Yell, a second-year player, was not up to the task. It’s also perhaps a bad sign that sixth-round pick JL Skinner was inactive despite the team being so thin at the position. If Skinner can’t even make the game-day roster when there are just two healthy safeties above him on the depth chart, it’s an alarming sign for his early development as a rookie.
2
Drew Sanders was underwhelming in first extended action
Sanders got a few snaps on defense even before Josey Jewell left with a groin injury. After Jewell went down, Sanders got extended action, but his performance was underwhelming. The rookie — like many of his teammates — struggled to break down, wrap up and make tackles against Miami’s explosive offense. It was easy to see why he hadn’t gotten more snaps at inside linebacker going into Sunday’s game.
3
Marvin Mims continues to show off his explosiveness
One week after his big game against the Commanders, Mims turned three receptions into 73 yards and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against the Dolphins. Yes, it came in a blowout loss, but Mims remains a bright spot for a struggling Broncos team.
4
Brandon Johnson had a day to forget
Johnson’s penalties cost the Broncos two touchdowns on Sunday. First, his illegal rub route negated a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton. Some fans will argue that the penalty was too harsh, but Johnson could have been more subtle in what was obviously a play designed for him to help Sutton get open. Later, a pre-snap penalty on Johnson negated a Jerry Jeudy touchdown.
Johnson did haul in a nice reception late in the game, but even that was negated by a penalty because he stepped out of bounds and was the first player to touch the ball after returning to the field of play. A day to forget for the second-year receiver.
5
Courtland Sutton's two fumbles were costly
Sutton started the game well by extending his route to catch a touchdown pass from Russell Wilson in the first quarter, but he later had two costly fumbles.
First, Sutton fumbled deep in Denver’s own territory, leading to a Dolphins touchdown. Later in the game, Sutton fumbled again when the Broncos were driving and attempting to get back in the contest.
Sutton also had a would-be touchdown catch go through his arms.
6
Vance Joseph should be fired today
Plenty of things went wrong for the Broncos on Sunday — the offense is not off the hook — but nothing went more wrong than the defense. Vance Joseph’s defense allowed 70 points — the most allowed by an NFL team since 1966. Denver’s defense also allowed 726 yards to Miami’s offense. It was a historically bad performance, bad enough to cost Joseph his job.
7
Sean Payton shares in the blame
Joseph’s defense was terrible, but head coach Sean Payton deserves heat as well. Payton chose not to challenge a questionable no-catch ruling on Denver’s first drive that led to a punt. His unit was also gifted great field position after the Dolphins turned the ball over on downs deep in their own territory in the first half, but Payton’s offense failed to score any points despite starting at Miami’s 33-yard line. Joseph deserves a lot of blame for the defensive struggles, but Payton’s offense only scored 13 points — and Payton is the head coach that oversaw the worst loss in franchise history.
8
Caleb Williams watch is officially on
One silver lining to being a terrible team in 2023 is the possibility of landing USC quarterback Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL draft. At their current pace, the Broncos are on track to secure the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. There will be plenty of holes to fill across the roster, but the possibility of drafting Caleb Williams will be the storyline to watch if Denver continues to struggle this season.
