Perhaps the Broncos should consider moving all their matches to London.
For the first seven weeks of the season, the Broncos’ attack looked mostly helpless, but that changed on Sunday in England. In a game against the Jaguars, Denver lit up the scoreboard with three touchdowns in a 21-17 win. Scoring three touchdowns isn’t usually a spotlight on the scoreboard, but it does when you’re a Broncos member that featured in this week’s game as the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL.
So why did Denver finally have some offensive success? The biggest reason is that Russell Wilson finally started playing like Russell Wilson The Broncos he thought they were getting when they made a hit deal for QB back in March.
Wilson’s ability to throw the ball with precision on the field is one of the reasons for his success in his career and he demonstrated that ability against the Jaguars. One of Wilson’s best throws of the day came in the third quarter when Greg Dolcic hit a 38-yard pass that cuts 30 yards in the air.
That throw came at 92 yards as Wilson went 5 of 5 for 88 yards. Wilson appears to be in great contact with Dulcich, who picked up three passes on the drive for 78 yards. That touchdown put the Broncos ahead 14-10, but it was a lead they would lose late in the final quarter with a yard off Travis Etienne with just 3:54 left.
At that point the Broncos were back on the field feeling their season was on the line, but Wilson seemed pretty upset by the pressure. In the first play of driving, Wilson arguably saved Denver’s season with a 47-yard pass to KJ Hamler.
Six games later, Latavius Murray scored the match-winning goal from one yard.
Another reason the Broncos offense was so good was because it was unstoppable in the red. Entering Week 8, Denver had the worst red zone attack in the NFL, scoring touchdowns on only 23.5% of red zone trips (to put that in perspective, every other team in the NFL was turning 35% on Least Red. Zone Trips to Landing heading into Week 8).
In this game, Broncos hit 3 vs 3 in the red zone and the main reason is that Nathaniel Hackett has already shown some creativity. Denver’s first touchdown in the game came in picking up Jerry Goody from six yards who seemed to catch a Jaguar by surprise.
The Broncos’ offense was by no means perfect. As a matter of fact, it looked like it was going to be another Unity nightmare early on. On the Broncos’ first four possessions, they chased three times without getting one first, and Wilson also threw an interception. Earlier in the season, that might have been enough to start a complete meltdown, but this time, the offense was able to bounce back.
On those first four possessions, Wilson was 2 of 6 for 19 yards and an interception, but then a 16 of 24 went for 233 yards and landed.
The Broncos have playoff-caliber defense, and if offense continues to improve, this team could eventually sneak into the wild card race.
Well, let’s go over the scores for each game starting in Week 8. If you’re looking to dive deeper into the Ravens’ win over the Pirates played on Thursday, Make sure to click here.
Denver 21-17 over Jacksonville (London)
Broncos-Jaguars Score by John Breech (Do you love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Atlanta 37-34 over Carolina (overtime)
Panthers-Falcons Score by John Breech (Do you love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Miami 31-27 over Detroit
Dolphins-Lions Score by John Breech (Do you love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 34-26 over Arizona
Cardinals-Vikings Degrees by John Breech (Love Degrees? Hate Degrees? Let him know on Twitter.)
New Orleans 24-0 Las Vegas
Raiders-Saints Score by John Breech (Do you love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 35-13 over Pittsburgh
Steelers Eagles Score By Jeff Kerr (Do you love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
New England 22-17 over New York Jets
Jordan Dajani’s Patriots Gates Score (Love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Dallas 49-29 over Chicago
Bears-Cowboys Grades by Garrett Podell (Do you love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
TN 17-10 over Houston
Scores of Titans-Texans by John Breech (Do you love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Washington 17-16 over Indianapolis
Commanders-Colts Score by John Breech (Love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
San Francisco 31-14 over the Los Angeles Rams
49ers-Rams Score By Brian Diardo (Love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Seattle 27-13 over the New York Giants
Degrees Giants-Seahawks by Cody Benjamin (Love Degrees? Hate Degrees? Let him know on Twitter.)
Buffalo 27-17 over Green Bay
Packers-Bills Score by John Breech (Do you love grades? Hate grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
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