Broncos report card>> Nothing good vs. Lions for Denver, which now has no margin for error

Offense

he Broncos went right down the field to start the game and turned it over at the edge of the red zone. Later, they got stuffed in yet another goal-to-go situation. In between, they mustered a touchdown, a couple of big plays and zero semblance of rhythm. And these weren’t exactly the ’85 Bears they were going against, either. Detroit entered 24th in scoring defense and had given up an average of 29.8 points per game over their past five. All the same, the Broncos mustered just 75 first-half yards and didn’t get on the board until the third quarter. Coach Sean Payton and quarterback Russell Wilson have to find more consistent ways to move the ball. The powerful run game that developed midseason has backtracked. Denver’s too reliant on big plays. The red zone and goal-to-go situations continue to be a sore spot. Plenty to figure out and not much time to do so.

Defense

Yeah, Vance Joseph’s group got hung out to dry in the first half. They had to defend 18-plus minutes and found themselves in bad spots several times. But any team that gives up touchdowns on five straight drives had a bad night at the office. The Broncos had no answer for Detroit’s passing game in the middle of the field. Once the Lions decided they wanted to run the ball, they did it at will. Perhaps the most concerning thing is that the offenses Denver has faced this year that have speed at all positions — Detroit, Houston and Miami — have rolled past them without much resistance. The Broncos rallied against the Texans (after Tank Dell left the game with an injury), but it’s not something they’ve otherwise had an answer for.

Special teams

Rookie Riley Moss made a heck of a play to tackle Lions return man Kalif Raymond on what was shaping up to be a promising punt return opportunity. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet night. The Broncos settled for a field goal when they were trailing 28-7 late in the third quarter. That didn’t do them much good, but it did mean that Wil Lutz knocked home his 15th straight field goal attempt. Denver failed to get a fourth-quarter onside kick, but that’s always a low-percentage proposition. It was the kind of night where the Broncos needed something major to happen in the return game and that did not materialize.

Coaching

here’s not much mystery. The Broncos came to Detroit confident but got rolled. They couldn’t get their run game going or stay on the field offensively and they didn’t have answers for Jared Goff in the middle of the field. Payton explained he didn’t challenge a pair of plays on the goal line late in the third quarter because they were “close,” but in that situation you’ve got to have points. Particularly given Denver’s goal-to-go struggles this year, challenging either would have been warranted. As Mike Mcglinchey said afterward, it didn’t decide the game. But it was a head-scratcher nonetheless. Payton was aggressive in going for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 30 in the first half, a good call not just because the Broncos converted but because the defense was already clearly getting gassed.