Yiadom aims for bounce-back performance
It was easy to spot the Raiders’ offensive strategy Monday night in their beatdown of the Broncos: Pass the football to the wide receiver who drew cornerback Isaac Yiadom in single coverage.
Yiadom, a 2018 thirdround pick, allowed completions the first six times he was targeted by Oakland (for 103 yards) as quarterback Derek Carr repeatedly connected on his side of the field, where there was no safety help.
The pattern drew this quip from coach Vic Fangio: “At some point, (Yiadom) is going to have to break some of those up.”
Yiadom returned to practice this week leading up to Sunday’s game against Chicago with a simple but focused mindset.
“Just do my job; play corner and don’t let anyone catch the ball,” Yiadom said.
A combination of technical errors and awareness lapses were responsible for Yiadom’s many miscues against the Raiders. But fellow cornerback Chris Harris hasn’t lost faith.
“I just try to tell (Yiadom): If you play in the NFL long enough, you’re going to get beat. It’s going to happen,’ ” Harris said. “You’ll have a night like that. You just have to bounce back. That’s what people want to see. They want to see how you’re going to bounce back and how you’re going to answer the call next time.”
Added defensive coordinator Ed Donatell: “He’s a real tough-minded kid and I truly intend for him to respond in a really strong way.”
Injury report.
Two projected defensive starters recovering from injury — inside linebacker Todd Davis (calf) and cornerback Bryce Callahan (foot) — are listed as questionable Sunday against the Bears. Three Broncos are confirmed as out: right tackle Ju’Wuan James (knee), fullback Andy Janovich (pectoral) and linebacker Joe Jones (triceps).
“I do see (Callahan) getting better. We’re just going to have to keep seeing some progress tomorrow and then even Sunday,” Fangio said. “I still don’t know if we’ll play (Davis) this week … but he’s definitely turned the corner and he’s ready to play.”
Addressing red zone.
The Broncos were 1-for-4 in the red zone against Oakland — three field goals followed by a touchdown.
“I think it was a combination of things,” offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said. “Obviously, we’ve got to do a better job as a group. We know there is room for improvement. But we also know we were really close.”
The Broncos’ first 10 red zone plays gained 14 yards; their final five gained 20 yards.
On the first red-zone trip, receiver Emmanuel Sanders was getting open for a touchdown when he slipped at the goal-line and quarterback Joe Flacco’s pass was batted down.
Receiver DaeSean Hamilton dropped a touchdown pass on the second possession. And Flacco was sacked in 5.64 seconds to end the third trip.
Getting up to speed.
Acquired over Labor Day weekend, Broncos cornerbacks Davontae Harris and Duke Dawson have been playing catch-up with their new team.
“They’re doing well,” Fangio said. “They’re getting extra meeting time with the coaches. It’s always tough to come in new once the regular season starts because you’re in game-week preparations and it’s tough to give them ample (practice) reps because the guys that are playing want to get them and see the other team’s plays. We’re trying to work them in there more and more. There’s a good chance, I think, that these guys might surface here at some point.”
Harris and Dawson were active against Oakland and played 10 special teams snaps apiece.