3 Brutal Takeaways from Broncos' 42-17 Loss to Lions

The Denver Broncos were utterly defeated by the Detroit Lions, but what did we learn?

James Campbell | Dec 17, 2023

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If fans wanted a true barometer of where the Denver Broncos stood in terms of their playoff aspirations, the mauling given out by the Detroit Lions certainly gives plenty of food for thought. Playing away from home, on a short week, against an opponent with its own playoff aspirations after a lengthy drought, but coming off a crushing loss and a point to prove, the Broncos needed to be able to meet the challenge.

In every department, the Broncos were simply found wanting, falling 42-17. What did we learn in Detroit?

Let's break it down.

Woeful Lack of Physicality

The Broncos could not match the physicality of the Lions, especially on defense, and could not deal with Detroit's speed. Jared Goff went 24-of-34 for 278 yards and a whopping five touchdowns, tying his career high.

Goff was able to move the ball at will against a Broncos secondary that was desperately searching for answers. Goff also distributed the ball effectively, keeping the Broncos off-balance, but receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown shined brightest in the primetime lights, with seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown on nine targets.

Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta had five catches for 56 yards and three touchdowns as Josey Jewell had to endure a torrid game in coverage, and arguably one of his worst as a Bronco. Goff was surgical on in-breaking routes, going 14-of-17 for 154 yards and all five of his touchdowns on such throws.

However, it was the combination of Detroit's 'thunder and lightning' — David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs — that doomed the Broncos. Gibbs was consistently able to find the outside and turn the corner, generating explosive runs, while Montgomery showed excellent contact balance to keep the chains moving.

Poor Tackling Effort

The Broncos' tackling ‘effort’ was abysmal, especially from the cornerbacks, but the linebackers and safeties weren't any better. Patrick Surtain II and Fabian Moreau did not show the requisite effort to wrap up and consistently make the expected tackles that would have got the defense off the field and were exposed in their pass coverage.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has generally been able to mitigate Moreau's weakness in the run game, especially given the emergence of Ja’Quan McMillian, but missed tackles hurt the Broncos significantly against the Lions. Time after time, P.J. Locke, Justin Simmons, and Josey Jewell were left grasping air where Gibbs blew past them.

For the first touchdown, the Lions' play design utilized the threat of Gibbs’ speed on a wheel route to clear out the defenders with a simple crossing route caught by LaPorta, causing confusion with Jewell over-pursuing and giving up the middle rather than funneling him to the sideline.

With the Broncos scoring in the third quarter and the defense needing a stop to give the offense some extra opportunities to battle back, the Lions were able to move the ball very quickly with Gibbs, Montgomery, and St. Brown. LaPorta capped the drive as he worked Surtain for his second touchdown that had made it 28-7.

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Payton Dog-Cusses Wilson

In Broncos Country, much will be made of head coach Sean Payton berating Russell Wilson on the sideline after the field goal that made the score 28-10 in favor of the Lions. However, any decision on Wilson’s future as a Broncos player is not going to come down to one moment, as controversial as it was.

Indeed, the moment was symptomatic of the difficulties Payton and Wilson have had, at times, getting on the same page. Getting on the same page, you'd think, would have been worked out by Week 15.

On the Broncos’ first pass of the game, Jerry Jeudy took a slant for 40 yards, taking advantage of the Lions’ aggressiveness on defense, and it was followed up by an end-around by Marvin Mims Jr. that gave the Broncos another first down.

On the next play, with the Broncos in position to at least put three on the board, a play fake into a naked bootleg resulted in a costly Wilson fumble, which was returned 37 yards. At the half, Wilson was 4-of-10 for 69 yards, with one of those completions the 40-yard pass to Jeudy. The Broncos' offense was putrid in all aspects, while Courtland Sutton was strangely quiet in the first half.

Moving forward, the Broncos need to utilize a better split in their running back committee. Samaje Perine, with his contact balance and softer hands, is a better fit for Payton’s offense than Javonte Williams and his strengths.

The longest rush by a Broncos running back until deep into the fourth quarter was a paltry six yards. Before the final four minutes, Williams had 15 yards on 10 carries, two receptions for minus-seven yards, with eight net scrimmage yards on 12 touches. Abysmal.

The Broncos' offensive line did not perform well at all. Wilson, although his decision-making could have been quicker and he was sacked only twice, had to deal with a significant amount of pressure coming at him very quickly, with timely blitzes and simulated pressures causing the O-line a lot of difficulties.

Right tackle Mike McGlinchey struggled against Aidan Hutchinson and his ability to rush with power. Left tackle Garett Bolles relinquished a lot of pressures, but he was able to recover occasionally.

Wilson had to work extremely hard to extend plays, but when he did, he often threw the ball more in hope than in expectation. A defensive pass interference call in the third quarter comes to mind as an example of a bad process being rewarded with a good result, extending the Broncos’ first drive of the half and leading to their first touchdown.

That was also Denver's first opening-drive points of the third quarter all season. Wilson had enough chances to throw the ball away or get the ball out faster, but the Lions’ defense swarmed and was dangerous once its offense had given it a lead.

A 21-point second quarter by Detroit put the game out of reach of the sputtering Broncos. And the Lions did not relent.

😬 pic.twitter.com/NN25RGIUJM
— Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) December 17, 2023

Coaching Snafus

Before the Payton-Wilson altercation (if it can be called that; Wilson said not a word in the face of his coach's wrath), the Broncos had compiled a field goal drive that was over six minutes long. Down three scores, the Broncos needed to up the tempo and score quickly.

Jaleel McLaughin, with a spinning effort, had gotten close to breaking the plane of the end zone, but Payton’s decision to kick the field goal and turn a three-score game into… a three-score game... was curious at best.

This was juxtaposed with Lions head coach Dan Campbell's aggressiveness in the end-of-half situations. The Lions' increasing involvement of St. Brown in the second quarter, as he moved around, ensured that they did not settle for just a field goal as they came out of the two-minute warning.

Then we arrive at the end of that controversial second possession of the third quarter. Wilson seemed to check into a different play with Williams running up the gut, only to be mysteriously called short when it appeared the ball-carrier had broken the plane. The Broncos should have been able to run to paydirt on the following fourth down.

A rarely called offensive offsides call on right guard Quinn Meinerz, which looked extremely ticky-tack, erased a Michael Burton one-yard touchdown plunge, but it shouldn't have affected Payton's decision to go for it on the ensuing 4th-&-Goal from the 5-yard line. It was at the point in the game where the Broncos needed touchdowns on offense and turnovers on defense.

There were two plays, besides that controversial Meinerz penalty (which can't be challenged), where the Broncos seemingly broke the plane of the end zone, yet, Payton didn't bother using a challenge. McLaughlin and Williams' second and third-down plays, respectively, inside the 10-yard line were close enough to warrant a second look.

Instead, the Broncos kicked a field goal, making it 28-10 Lions.

Coming back to Payton, the plays that had been called for Wilson were, in essence, to minimize him in the game. It's an ominous sign for a QB's future when a coach has to minimize his impact on the game plan.

Turning the page, the Broncos' usage of Jeudy was promising. At the start of the third quarter, with the game hanging in the balance somewhat, it's to the Broncos' credit that they showed a great deal of fight offensively and had made it a two-score game. Getting a touchdown on the first drive after the half, playing to the strengths of Sutton as they involved him more to move the chains, paid off.

The Broncos are a team that needed everything to go well for them to be able to beat this particular Lions team. It's a credit to how far the Lions have come more than anything else, but when the Broncos had fallen behind, this is not a team built to storm back.

As Payton himself said post-game, the Broncos' coaching staff was comprehensively out-coached, and the players were out-executed. Denver's offense, defense, and special teams were not good enough.

The Broncos can still make the playoffs, but the chastening nature of this defeat against the Lions gives some serious pause for thought. Payton has much work to do in all departments.