In their prime-time showdown against the San Francisco 49ers, The Denver Broncos overcame a defensive battle until the end, Final 11-10.
Offensively the Broncos continued to struggle to score early and consistently against an impressive Niner defense. Shut out in the first quarter, a field goal in the second, then finally Danger Russell Wilson saved the day with a clutch drive down the field in the fourth quarter.
Wilson completed 20/33 for 184 yards.
Nathaniel Hackett on the Broncos' offense finding success on the scoring drive:
"The guys just stayed together. I thought Russell was unbelievable. When we needed it, he did it. That's what he does."
In his heroic fourth-quarter drive, the star QB finally resembled his old self from his Seattle days. 12-plays for an 80-yard 4th quarter drive and a handoff to Melvin Gordon to seal the victory at Mile High. A win is a win but how the Broncos won is just horrible. Denver's offense has repeatedly failed to look like a sound unit. If this performance continues, it will hurt their chances of making a run in the playoffs. Points lead to wins, and week by week, those wins have looked sketchy.
One area in which the Broncos improved is the penalty box, with only five penalties called against them. That is a significant improvement from week one and week two.
Defensively the Broncos have played off the charts, from their pass rush to their containment in the secondary. As a result, Denver arguably has one of the best defenses in the league. It showed Sunday as the Broncos held the 49ers to 267 yards.
LB Josey Jewell made his 2022 debut after missing two games with a calf injury, finishing with four sacks and one fumble recovery. While CB Patrick Surtain did not allow a reception on six targets and tied the record for the most targets without a reception permitted in a game since 2021
HC Nathaniel Hackett on the Broncos' defense:
"They were outstanding. Just a great performance."
Also credited Corliss Waitman for pinning the 49ers deep on many of the San Francisco drives.
Punter Corliss Waitman was named AFC special teams player of the week for his performance. He punted the ball ten times and pinned six punts inside the 20-yard line.
Talk about special. On the. "Manning Cast" of Monday night football between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. Host Eli Manning made a joke stating the Broncos should have paid their punter $235 million instead of giving that money to Russell Wilson.
Wilson clapped back, saying,
"You talking about Chad Powers?" "I'm 3-0 against Chad Powers.
It's all fun and games, but all jokes aside. Manning's words stung Bronco fans. Wilson's play has been mediocre at best, but with a long season ahead, there is light at the end of the tunnel. On the bright side, Denver will travel to Las Vegas this weekend to face a winless Raiders team.
However, according to the ESPN power index, the Raiders are favored to win by 58.3%