A GIANT EMBARRASSMENT
Broncos become first team this season to fall to New York Denver gets hit with injuries, although QB Siemian returns
Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian grimaces after diving and missing Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who had picked off a Siemian pass and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown late in the first half Sunday night. The injury-plagued Giants stunned the Broncos 23-10.
After four days of rest, Broncos coach Vance Joseph returned to Dove Valley last week seeking more. He wanted more effort, more focus, more detail and more commitment from his team.
“Great football teams take it upon themselves to play great no matter who they’re playing,” general manager John Elway corroborated. “They don’t hold their standards up to who they’re playing, but they hold their standards up to the expectations they have in their football team.”
One team heeded their calls Sunday. But it wasn’t the Broncos.
In a stunning showing, the heavily favored Broncos were drubbed 23-10 by the depleted New York Giants at Sports Authority Field at Mile High and lost a pair of receivers to injury in the process. The Broncos dropped to 3-2, while New York picked up its first victory.
Three turnovers, two interceptions thrown by Trevor Siemian and a fumble doomed the Broncos.
“They played well,” Siemian said. “We knew their defense was good. They are talented all across the board. Credit to them.”
The Broncos lost receiver Emmanuel
Sanders and returner Isaiah McKenzie with ankle injuries, and Siemian missed a series with an injured left shoulder after his second interception of the night. Siemian was replaced by Brock Osweiler for the final seconds of the first half, but Siemian returned to play the second half.
Siemian finished 29-of-50 passing for 376 yards but threw those two interceptions, including a game-changing pick-six by Janoris Jenkins near the end of the first half that extended New York’s lead to 17-3. Siemian was sacked four times.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning, meanwhile, who was without many of his core weapons on offense, turned to speedy rookie tight end Evan Engram and relied on outside run plays to pick apart the Broncos’ league-leading rushing defense. And Orleans Darkwa ran for 117 yards.
“We’ve got to stop the run on defense,” cornerback Chris Harris said. “(And) we can’t keep giving teams turnovers. Turnovers are killing us.”
Broncos linebacker Von Miller complimented New York’s game plan, which led to a season-high 148 yards rushing against Denver.
“They ran the ball extremely well,” Miller said. “Every week is tough. You have to be desperate to win. If you step on the field, you can play at a high capacity. There aren’t really any scrubs that make it to the grass on Sunday.”
Manning completed 11-of-19 passes for 128 yards, a touchdown and a 95.9 passer rating.
The Giants were without four of their top receivers, their top returner, their starting center and running back — and a defensive captain. But New York was the better team all night, jumping to a 3-0 lead in becoming the first Broncos opponent this season to score on its opening drive.
In the first four weeks, the Broncos amassed 27 points in the first quarter, fourth-most in the league. But Sunday night, they could muster only a pair of three-and-outs and a missed 38yard field-goal attempt by Brandon McManus, who also had a 53-yard attempt blocked in the third quarter. McManus was signed to a contract extension before the start of the season but has missed five of his 13 fieldgoal attempts.
“We’ll address it with him, but sitting here right now, he’s our guy,” Joseph said after the loss.
The Giants, meanwhile, dominated all three phases while the Broncos’ offense sputtered and appeared to have miscommunication issues on the line, and the defense was gouged for big plays.
New York gashed the Broncos on a 47-yard gain by Darkwa to set up Manning’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Engram in the second quarter. Engram finished with five catches for 82 yards. The Denver defense that had allowed only 50.8 yards rushing per game through the first four weeks surrendered 148. And Denver’s run game that averaged 143 yards per game? It recorded only 46.
Siemian, who was off-kilter from the opening whistle, threw two interceptions in the span of about eight minutes in the second quarter, the last of which was returned for a touchdown by Jenkins. Siemian lunged to try to tackle Jenkins. Siemian fell hard, and team trainers immediately examined his shoulder, which was surgically repaired in January. Though Siemian returned, right offensive tackle Menelik Watson did not. He injured his calf on the play before the pick and was ruled out for the second half.
The Giants continued to pound the Broncos until the final seconds. Siemian was sacked two more times in the second half, Sanders was carted off and — just for good measure — the Broncos fumbled at the start of the fourth.
But it got even worse. McKenzie left the field in tears after suffering a gruesome ankle injury on a deep pass play, one that appeared similar to Sanders’. Neither McKenzie nor Sanders returned, and both are expected to undergo further evaluation.
Denver’s offense managed to find the end zone for the only time late in the fourth quarter, on a touchdown catch by tight end Jeff Heuerman. But it was far too little too late.
“We have 11 games left. Plenty of time to turn it around,” said safety Justin Simmons.
After a week of emphasizing red-zone efficiency and the elimination of critical errors, of talking about defensive improvement and attention to detail, of the need to start strong and finish stronger, the Broncos’ issues were compounded Sunday night. And their injury list grew.
When Joseph wanted more, he got less. And when Elway sought high standards, the Broncos played well below their goals as they get ready to embark on a three-game road stretch.