Did punting the preseason doom Broncos against Raiders in opener?

Kiz: Ouch. From poor tackling to poor clock management, the Broncos looked as unprepared to play football in Vic Fangio’s debut as coach as the stumbling, bumbling teams from the Vance Joseph era. While the Denver defense was far from dominant, the offense was often atrocious. So where do we put the blame? On a lack of talent surrounding quarterback Joe Flacco? Or a lack of preparation during a preseason when Flacco and the gang got precious little work? O’Halloran: Raiders quarterback Derek Carr attempted only two passes in the preseason, and he was lights out on Monday, slicing and dicing the Broncos’ defense with short, quick passes that negated the pass rush. My first thought last month when Fangio said the starters would not play against the Rams (traditionally the final tuneup game), I chalked that up to how he was trying to prevent injuries more than him thinking the group was ready. That said, might the Broncos been more effective in the red zone (1-of-4) had they received more preseason game reps in that situation? Maybe. Kiz: At the risk of getting too technical, the game plan of new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello stunk. He seemed uncertain how best to utilize firstround draft choice Noah Fant. What’s more, can you tell me what was that gimmick formation in the red zone? This ain’t intramural football, brother. You ain’t tricking anybody at this level. And don’t even get me started on the twominute drill that resulted in the long missed field goal at the conclusion of the first half. It was amateurish, at best.

I asked Fangio about the funky formation, which was flawed from the start because Oakland sniffed it out and adjusted accordingly, and I really don’t like running that kind of play in the red zone. The play, not shockingly, gained no yardage. The best offensive play-callers hop on the back of their best players. That’s what Scangarello needs to do starting Sunday against Chicago. Kiz: This offense has identity issues. While I presume the Broncos want to ground and pound the football, with Flacco serving primarily as a game manager, does that really serve a quarterback with a big arm and legit downfield threats in receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton? It seems to me Denver ventured into the Black Hole in hopes of securing a victory while still working the kinks out offensively. After five — count ’em, five — largely worthless preseason games, Oakland was not the place for a dress rehearsal for an offense that still doesn’t know its stuff.

When I wasn’t banging my head against the press box wall because of the lousy WiFi in a truly horrible stadium, I was scratching my scalp at the Broncos’ first possession. A jet sweep to Fant? It lost 5 yards. A screen to Phillip Lindsay on second-and-long? It gained a yard. As Kiz points out, this should be an offense in general and a passing game in particular that should go through Sanders and Sutton plus a mix of Fant. The we-want-to-run-it strategy has a better chance of working if the Broncos can get a lead. That happens by throwing the football.