Risner upset with play of O- line
Broncos left guard on his unit’s inability to protect quarterbacks: “That infuriates me”
After the Steelers dominated the Broncos offensive line Sunday to the tune of seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 19 quarterback hits, left guard Dalton Risner made no excuses for the unit’s poor performance.
“That infuriates me,” Risner said. “We’ve got to be better as an offensive line and not let that happen. I don’t care if they brought the house every single play. It’s upsetting, and we have to be better than that.”
Denver’s quarterbacks certainly felt the heat throughout the 26- 21 loss at Heinz Field.
Starter Drew Lock was injured when he got sacked in the first quarter. Lock rolled out, slipped, and was drilled by Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree, causing a fumble. Lock left the game with a right shoulder injury and his arm was in a sling after the game.
Jeff Driskel received similar poor protection in place of Lock, although the backup admitted “some of those sacks are on me.” Specifically, it appeared Driskel held the ball too long on the final sack of the day, an 11- yard loss on fourth- and- 2 when Pittsburgh’s Terrell Edmunds turned the ball back to the Steelers, who ran the clock out.
“We knew they were a really good front, and they find a way to get to the quarterback,” Driskel said. “We all knew that we were going to have to scheme some stuff up to get the ball out quick in the down because they can get home ( to the pocket)… I’ve got to move around a little bit and I’ve got to get the ball out on time. “
Coming into 2020, certain growing pains with the offensive
line were to be expected.
The Broncos start a rookie at center in Lloyd Cushenberry, while Elijah Wilkinson is filling in for veteran Ja’Wuan James ( opted out) at right tackle. However, Risner and free- agent acquisition Graham Glasgow are supposed to
be stabilizers at the guard positions, while growth was expected from fourth- year pro Garett Bolles at left tackle.
However, there was little consistency to be found Sunday. In addition to pass protection issues, Broncos running back Melvin
Gordon was held to 70 yards, and the Broncos had 104 yards rushing overall.
“We’ve got to do a better job of blocking our guys, No. 1,” coach Vic Fangio said. “And if we have to help more, we have to help more. In protection, there’s a lot of moving parts, and it’s not just all on the O- line. We need to take a good look at it, and not have that happen again.”