Osweiler, Sanders try to stay connected
A peppering of halfhearted boos fell on Brock Osweiler as he walked off the field at halftime Sunday night, but not intentionally. The quarterback is the tallest player on the Broncos’ roster. He stands like an umbrella over their troubles.
Denver’s 18-point halftime shortfall behind the Patriots was hardly Osweiler’s fault alone. The once and possible future answer to the Broncos’ woes under center finally found his footing. And between Osweiler and veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, the Broncos knitted together a respectable first half for a struggling offense.
Osweiler and Sanders shined in their best games this season, and the Broncos’ offense suddenly looked something like a competent unit. But in a 41-16 loss to New England that was essentially a blowout from the first quarter on, Denver’s issues ran so deep that its mild improvement in the passing game made no difference. The Broncos were handed their fifth consecutive loss in a 3-6 season.
“Everyone is frustrated right now. We’ve lost a lot of games in a row. It’s not for lack of effort,” Osweiler said.
The Osweiler-to-Sanders connection fell into rhythm early. From the shotgun in the first quarter, the 6-foot-7 Osweiler angled a short pass over the middle to Sanders, who darted through New England’s secondary for a 38-yard gain. The eightplay drive ended with a field goal — and after the Patriots scored 15 seconds later on Dion Lewis’ 103-yard kickoff return, Denver was already down 14-3.
The Broncos cycled through another training camp quarterback competition, then settled on Trevor Siemian, then cut bait two weeks ago to start Osweiler, who was signed after his dismissal from Cleveland.
Sanders, it seemed, fell victim to the passing turnover. He was producing at his lowest rate in four seasons with the Broncos, averaging 11.4 yards per reception before Sunday. Siemian never discovered a groove with him.
Osweiler did. Sanders was the best player on the field in the first half, hauling in five catches for 114 yards (22.8 yards per reception). His 15th career game topping 100 yards happened before intermission, just the second time in his NFL career that he reached triple digits so quickly.
Their connection was timely too. Five of Sanders’ six catches Sunday came on third down, for 106 total yards.
Sanders declined to talk at his locker after the game. But Demaryius Thomas offered this on his fellow wide receiver: “Hey, he’s back.”
But if everything was working so well for the Broncos, they would not have lost in another blowout. Sanders was Denver’s only weapon. The Patriots quickly picked up on this insight and shut him down. He caught just one pass in the second half.
Plenty of other issues remain. Osweiler navigated just one drive that ended in a touchdown, a 13-play, 75-yard effort in the third quarter that led to a 7yard touchdown pass to Thomas. The Broncos otherwise settled for field goals. The red zone is their stop sign. Denver has scored touchdowns on just 41.9 percent of its trips inside the 20yard line this season. That ranks 30th in the 32-team league.
Osweiler and Sanders flashed a thin glint of hope for the Broncos’ offense. But nothing more.