Gordon’s fumbles, Lindsay’s injury hurt
Halloween is still six days away, but the Broncos’ offense turned into a smashed pumpkin Sunday in a humbling 43- 16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
High- priced running back Melvin Gordon, who signed a twoyear, $ 16 million free- agent contract in March, committed two crucial turnovers that led to Denver’s 10th consecutive loss to K. C.
Compounding the misery on a frigid, snowy day was the loss of running back Phillip Lindsay to a concussion shortly before the end of the first half.
Lindsay had provided a ray of hope, ball control and momentum by rushing for 79 yards on just nine carries. Lindsay’s ability to follow his blocks and cut back was the best thing about Denver’s offense on a day when quarterback Drew Lock struggled.
“I thought we ran the ball pretty consistently throughout the game,” coach Vic Fangio said after the Broncos pounded out 177 yards on the ground. “We just didn’t convert enough on third down and we didn’t get the big, chunk plays to build off the runs we were having.”
Lindsay looked to be well on his way to a 100- yard game when he took a hard shot to the head by Kansas City safety Daniel Sorenas
son. It was a helmet- to- helmet hit, but Sorenson was not flagged on the play. Lindsay was checked out by trainers on the sideline before being escorted to the locker room without his helmet. He did not return.
Fangio did not provide an update after the game, but it was another setback for Lindsay, who
missed three games earlier this season because of a turf toe injury.
If there was a single play that illustrated Denver’s ineptitude, it arrived early in the third quarter when Gordon turned a flea- flicker into a circus. His wild pitch back flew over the head of quarterback Drew Lock and was recovered by
Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark at the Denver 14. The mistake set up a field goal that gave Kansas City a 27- 9 lead.
“Turning the ball over is never good,” said Fangio, who repeatedly stressed that Denver’s four miscues crippled its chance to beat the Chiefs. “I’m not sure exactly what happened on the flea- flicker,
far as where the breakdown was there, whether it was a bad pitch or not, but we can’t turn the ball over, obviously.”
Gordon, who rushed for 68 yards on 17 carries and scored on a 3- yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, also lost a fumble near the end of the first quarter. Gordon has three fumbles in five games as a Bronco, while Lindsay still hasn’t fumbled in two- plus seasons.
The Broncos were hoping the duo would provide a solid onetwo punch, but they have played only four quarters together this season, in Week 1 vs. Tennessee and in Sunday’s first half.
Gordon declined a request to be one of the Broncos’ players available via post- game Zoom video conference.
Left tackle Garett Bolles said he believes in Denver’s ability to run the ball.
“We have to continue to run the ball, that’s flat out what we have to do,” Bowles said. “I mean, we rushed for almost 200 yards. And most teams that run for almost 200 yards win the ballgame. But we need to eliminate the turnovers. If we eliminate the turnovers, we control the clock … and we can get this thing rolling.”