November 4th 2024.
BALTIMORE — D.J. Jones didn't hold back. The defensive lineman for the Broncos was brutally honest after a tough game and he expressed his thoughts with the same efficiency as Lamar Jackson on the field.
Jones didn't mince words when he said, "We got our butts kicked. We got whooped." And it was true, Denver was no match for the Baltimore Ravens, losing 41-10. Jackson, a two-time MVP, led his team to victory and the Ravens outclassed the Broncos in all aspects of the game, including coaching.
This loss came as a surprise, as the Broncos had been on a roll, winning five of their last six games. But that momentum was quickly snuffed out by the dominant Ravens.
Denver's defense, which had been one of the best in the NFL, was exposed and raised concerns. On the offensive side, the Broncos had established a strong identity against weaker opponents, but they struggled against a real contender like the Ravens. Head coach Sean Payton said, "Obviously they beat us in all three phases. We didn't do a good enough job coaching, and it's disappointing."
The question now is how quickly the Broncos can bounce back from this defeat. They have a tough road ahead with a trip to face the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, and a home game against the surging Atlanta Falcons. These games will determine how much room for error the Broncos have for the rest of the season. If they can win at least one of these games, it's game on for the rest of November and beyond. But if the gap between Denver and the top teams in the league is as wide as it looked on Sunday, the Broncos are in trouble.
The distance between these two teams was evident throughout the game, but it was most apparent in the third quarter. Denver had closed the gap to 17-10, but the Ravens quickly pulled away with 21 unanswered points. In that span, the Ravens scored 219 offensive yards on just 23 plays, while the Broncos only managed to run four plays for a net loss of two yards.
Right guard Quinn Meinerz said, "I don't even know what happened in the third quarter. But I believe they had a drive that lasted at least 12 minutes. When you have an entire quarter taken away from you as an offense, that three-and-out really costs you. Moving forward, we need to hold onto the ball, drive down the field, and get points when our defense gives us a three-and-out."
The Broncos missed several opportunities, and the Ravens took advantage of their mistakes. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph had a plan to stop Baltimore's balanced and explosive offense, but it didn't work out. Jackson completed 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards and threw three touchdowns, two of which were caught by Zay Flowers. Jackson also routinely extended plays to find open receivers down the field.
Captain and wide receiver Courtland Sutton remains confident in the Broncos, saying, "We had a lot of opportunities that could have gone the other way. But one of my boys always says, 'If 'if' was a fifth, we'd all be drunk.' That's a great way to go about it. We can say, 'if this, if that' all day, but we didn't capitalize when we needed to, and that's the moral of the story for this game."
Despite the disappointing loss, the Broncos still have plenty of chances to make a run for the playoffs. But this game has raised questions about their ability to compete with top teams in the league. The Broncos will need to regroup quickly and learn from their mistakes if they want to have a shot at the postseason.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
