Regular Season Game 9
Hawk Valley
Denver Broncos Regular Season Game 9 November 7, 2021
Quick Review
The Broncos tried to lose this game, but they beat The Washington Football Team 17-10.
A longer review
Washington started the game from their 25 yard line. On the first play, Taylor Heinicke, #4 found J. D. McKissic, #41, for a gain of 8 yards. On second down, Antonio Gibson, #24, ran towards the left side for no gain. With two yards to go, Heinicke found McKissic for a 27 yard gain. The football team decided to hand off to Jaret Patterson, #32, on first down and he gained two yards. On second and 8, Heinicke avoided pressure, then a sack and then ran for ten yards up the middle. On first down with 11:30 left, Patterson ran towards the left for a four yard gain. On second down, Patterson tried the left side again, but he only gained three yards this time. McKissic dove up the middle for a two yard gain on third and three. With the ball on Denver’s 19 yard line, the Washington Football team decided to go for it on fourth and one. Heinicke’s pass was incomplete.
The Bronco’s first drive started from the 19 yard line. Teddy tossed the ball to Fant for a one yard gain. On second down, Gordon ran to the left for a gain of eight yards. On third and one, Gordon ran up the middle for a four yard gain. Gordon ran to the left on first down and gained two yards. On second and 8, Montez Sweat, #90 was flagged for a neutral zone infraction. On second and three, with 6:50 left, Teddy Bridgewater’s pass was intercepted, but dropped. On third and 3, Teddy connected with Sutton for a 31 yard gain. On first down, Gordon was stopped for no gain, but there was a flag on the play. Dalton Risner, #66, was flagged for holding. On first and 20, with 5:37 left in the first quarter, Teddy Bridgewater was sacked for a four yard loss. After the sack, Teddy threw an incomplete pass. On third and 24, Teddy connected with Albert Okwuegbunam #85, “Big O”, for a gain of 11 yards, but there was a flag on the play. Lloyd Cushenberry, #79, was flagged for ineligible downfield pass. On third and 29, Teddy’s pass was incomplete and the Broncos punted with 4:21 left in the first.
The Football Team started their drive from the 17 yard line. Their first two plays were incomplete passes, but on the second, there was a flag on the play. Ronald Darby, #21, was flagged with a face mask. On first and 10 from the 32, Gibson ran to the right for a two yard gain. On second and 8, Heinicke connected with a wide open Terry McLaurin, #17, for a 17 yard gain. From the 49 yard line of Denver, with 2:40 left in the quarter, Patterson ran to the left for five yards. Patterson ran to the left on second down and picked up three yards. On third and 2, Heinicke tossed the ball to McKissic for a gain of one yard, but Washington was short of the first down marker. Washington challenged the spot and after the review, McKissic was credited for a two yard gain and a first down. On first and 10, with 80 seconds left, Heinicke found Gibson for a gain of 13 yards. On first and 10, with 30 seconds left, Gibson carried the ball for six yards and that play ended the first quarter. After one quarter in Washington, the score was Denver 0, Washington 0.
On third and 4, Heinicke found Ricky Seals-Jones, #83, for a two yard loss. On third and 6, there was a flag on the play. Saahdiq Charles, #77, was flagged for a false start. Heinicke followed that play up with an incomplete pass. On fourth and 11, the Football Team attempted a 45 yard field goal, but it was blocked by #96, Shelby Harris.
On first down, Williams gained six yards running up the middle. On second down, Teddy found Jeudy for a five yard gain. On first down, with about 12:30 left in the half, Teddy Bridgewater connected with Patrick for a gain of 31 yards. From the Washington 23, Williams run up the middle for a gain of two yards. On second down, Teddy was sacked for a loss of six yards. Teddy followed the sack up with an incomplete pass. On fourth and 14, with about 10:31 left on Halloween night, the Broncos kicked a 45 yard field goal.
From the 25 yard line, Heinicke connected with Cam Sims, #11, for a gain of 20 yards. Heinicke turned around and tossed the ball to Gibson for a gain of four yards. On second down, Gibson ran to the left for 5 yards. On third down and one, Gibson tried for the first down, but he didn’t get it. The Washington Football Team decided to go for it on fourth down and Patterson picked it up, running up the middle. On first down, with 7:30 left, Heinicke connected with Adam Humphries, #13, for a gain of 12 yards. Heinicke’s next pass fell incomplete. On second down, McKissic ran to the left for four yards. On third down, Heinicke was sacked by Harris for a five yard loss. On fourth and 11, The Football Team tried a 52 yard field goal and they made it. With 5:44 left in the half, the score was Denver 3, Washington 3.
From the 25 yard line, Teddy connected with the “Big O” for a gain of 12 yards on first down. Then Gordon picked up two yards running to the left. Gordon tried the left side again, but this time he picked up seven yards. With 3:17 left in the half, Teddy called his own number on third down. He picked up the first down on the quarterback sneak. After that dive, Teddy connected with the “Big O” for a gain of 19 yards. That play took us down to the two minute warning. The announcers took this time to point out that there were 11,755 no shows on Halloween night. When play resumed, Teddy found Patrick for a gain of 19 yards. From the 15 yard line, with 71 seconds left, Teddy connected with Gordon for a touchdown pass of 15 yards.
From the 25 yard line, Heinicke tossed the ball to McKissic for no gain. On second down, Heinicke connected with Dylan Carter, #1, for a gain of 17 yards. On first down, Heinicke found Jones for 14 yards. On first down Heinicke connected with McKissic for 7 yards. Heinicke took a break and threw an incomplete pass on second down. Denver called a timeout with 23 seconds left. On third and 3, Heinicke was sacked for a loss of ten yards. He fumbled the ball but also recovered it. On fourth and 13, Heinicke’s pass into the end zone was intercepted by Justin Simmons. Score at halftime, Denver 10, Washington 3.
From the 25 yard line, Williams went nowhere on first down. On second down, Teddy rolled to the left and found Fant for 7 yards. On third down, Williams ran to the left and picked up 7 yards. Williams then tried the right side but only gained two yards. Williams tried the right side again and lost one yard. On third and nine, Teddy found the “Big O” for a gain of three yards as he was being sacked. The Broncos punted at the eleven minute mark of the third quarter.
From the eight yard line, the first play of the second half for the Washington Football Team was a pass from Heinicke to Jones for 15 yards, but there was a flag on the play. Wes Schweitzer, #71, was flagged for holding. On second down, Heinicke tossed an incomplete pass. On second and 14, Heinicke found McLaurin for a five yard gain. Heinicke was sacked for a six yard loss by Dre’Mont Jones, #93, on third down. With 9:11 left in the third, Washington punted.
I guess the Broncos took this as a sign to ease up on the throttle? Gordon netted five yards on the next drive before the Broncos punted.
With 7:02 left in the third, Patterson ran up the middle for four yards. On second down, Patterson picked up seven yards. On first down, the Denver D stopped Patterson for no gain. On second down, with five minutes left, Heinicke drew the defense in and then found McKissic for a 14 yard gain. On first down, John Bates, #87, caught a pass for four yards. On second down, Heinicke threw another four yard pass, this time to Gibson. Needing only two yards for the first down, Heinicke connected to a wide open Humphries for a gain of 23 yards. From the Denver 38 yard line, Gibson ran to the right picking up five yards. With 1:30 left in the third quarter, Patterson picked up 13 yards running over the left side. With 38 seconds left in the quarter, Heinicke connected with Carter on a twenty yard touchdown pass.
Fant started the next Bronco drive off with a false start. From the 20 yard line, Williams ran to the right, picked up three yards and ended the third quarter. After three quarters, the game is even Steven at 10.
On second and 12, Teddy found Jeudy for a 9 yard gain, but there was a flag on the play. Davis was flagged for roughing the passer, 15 bonus yards to Denver. On first down, the Broncos tried a fake screen, hand off play to Jeudy which gained zero yards. On second down, Williams caught a two yard pass from Bridgewater. A second pass to Williams gained 11 yards. Gordon came in and picked up 11 yards running over the right side. On first down, with 12:16 left in the game, the center stepped on Bridgewater’s foot, Teddy fell down, sacked for a six yard loss. After the sack, Teddy threw two incomplete passes and the Broncos attempted a 53 yard field goal on fourth down. The 53 yard attempt was no good.
The Washington Football team took over and thought they could do a better job. Gibson carried the ball over the left side for a 12 yard gain on first down. McLaurin ran over the right side for a 12 yard gain. Patterson came in and gained four yards running to the left. Heinicke then threw two incomplete passes to kill the drive. With about nine minutes left, on fourth and 6, the Washington Football Team attempted a 47 yard field goal, which was blocked by Harris and Jones.
On first down, Bridgewater connected with Patrick for a 14 yard gain. Then Teddy was sacked for a seven yard loss. On second and 17, Teddy connected with Sutton for a gain of nine yards. The ball was on the Washington 47 yard line. Bridgewater then connected with Jeudy for an eighteen yard gain. Williams picked up 14 yards galloping to the left. Gordon came in and gained one yard over the right side. On second down, Teddy reconnected with Jeudy for seven yards. On third and 2 from the Washington 7, with 4:30 left, Gordon ran into the end zone for a touchdown. The score at the time was Denver 17, Washington 10. Garett Bolles was injured on the play.
From the 25 yard line, the Washington Football Team started their drive off with a Heinicke pass to McKissic for a gain of 19 yards. McKissic only gained five yards on second down. Heinicke then threw an incomplete pass on third down. No problem, Heinicke found a wide open Dax Milne, #15, over the middle for a 22 yard gain. On first down, McKissic ran to the left for four yards. Heinicke followed that play up with an incomplete pass. Heinicke found Carter for 14 yards. The ball was at the Denver 11. Then Gibson ran for 3 yards over the left side, which took us down to the two minute warning. On second and 7, McLaurin caught a pass for no gain. On third and 7, Heinicke was sacked and he fumbled. Washington recovered the ball for a twelve yard loss. Denver called their first timeout with 49 seconds left. On fourth and 19, Heinicke attempted the hail Mary play, but the pass was intercepted by Justin Simmons. There were flags on the play. McKissic was flagged for unnecessary roughness and Simmons was flagged for taunting. The penalties offset.
That’s the game right? With 37 seconds left, Williams carried the ball for a one yard gain on first down and he fumbled. The Broncos recovered the ball. Washington then called their first time out with 32 seconds left. Teddy Bridgewater then threw an incomplete pass on second down. On third and 9 with 18 seconds left, Gordon lost two yards and then he fumbled. This time, Washington recovered the ball.
Heinicke must have been confused, he threw an incomplete pass on first down. Washington used their second timeout with 18 seconds left. Heinicke was sacked on second down by Reed for a six yard loss. Washington then used their final timeout. Heinicke finished the game with consecutive incomplete passes. Final score: Denver 17, Washington 10.
The Game Stats
Denver Broncos
Time of Possession
28:10
Passing Attempts
26
Passing Yards
213
Rushes
21
Rushing Yards
83
The Washington Football Team
Time of Possession
31:50
Passing Attempts
39
Passing Yards
270
Rushes
24
Yards
112
The Running Game
*AYPC is average yards per carry
PlayerCarriesAYPCLongTD(s)Fumble(s) Gordon1051111 Williams941400 Bridgewater11100 Jeudy10000
The Passing Attack
PlayerReceptions%LongTD(s)Fumble(s) Jeudy4100%1800 Patrick3100%3100 Okwuegbunam3100%1900 Gordon3100%1510 Sutton250%3100 Williams250%1100 Fant250%700
The Quarterbacks
Bridgewater
Passing
compypaTD(s)INT(s)LongRating 73%81031110
Rushing
AttYardsLongTD(s) 1110
Sacked
TimesYards LostFumble(s) 4230
Taylor Heinicke
Passing
compypaTD(s)INT(s)LongRating 62%7122769
Rushing
AttYardsLongTD(s) 110100
Sacked
Time(s)Yard(s) LostFumble(s) 5402
Afc West Standings
Vs the Division
TeamGame(s) PlayedWinning %Net Los Angeles2100%+20 Las Vegas250%-4 Kansas City10-6 Denver10-10
Vs the Conference
TeamGame(s) PlayedWinning %Net Las Vegas3100%+18 Denver540%+9 Los Angeles333%-26 Kansas City425%-39
vs the NFC
TeamGame(s) PlayedWinning %Net Kansas City3100%+33 Denver2100%+21 Los Angeles250%+1 Las Vegas250%0
Problems: The fourth quarter
Denver loves to pad the stats in the fourth quarter, so what would their record be if only the fourth quarter counted? Lets take a look.
If only the fourth quarter counted
BroncosPointsOpponentPoints4th QTR resultReal result Denver10New York Giants6WinWin Denver3Jacksonville Jaguars6LossWin Denver6New York Jets0WinWin Denver0Baltimore Ravens6LossLoss Denver13Pittsburgh Steelers3WinLoss Denver14Las Vegas Raiders3WinLoss Denver7Cleveland Browns0WinLoss Denver7The Washington Football Team0WinWin
The Broncos would be 6-2 if only the fourth quarter counted.
1st 3 Games
TeamPoints ScoredPoints SurrenderedNetWinning % Denver762650100% Las Vegas907218100% Los Angeles6760+767% Kansas City9295-333%
Last five games
*Only played four games due to bye week TeamPoints ScoredPoints SurrenderedNetWinning % Kansas City116125-960% Las Vegas*9094-450% Los Angeles*105117-1250% Denver81111-3020%
I love looking at these two tables. It highlights the Broncos at their best and how they are now. I hope you enjoyed that three game winning streak, six game winning streak if you count the preseason, at the beginning of the season! Remember what that was like? It’s hard to believe now, but the Broncos were the best team in the NFL for three weeks this season! The net points really tells this story. During the great part of this season, there were 31 teams ranked below the Broncos! Today, there are only 8. The three worst teams are: Houston -113, Detroit -82, and Miami -58. The three best teams: Arizona +70, Buffalo +70, and Tampa Bay +62.
The worst offenses in the NFL after week 3
Houston Texans
Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
Denver Broncos
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Chicago Bears
Washington Football Team
Las Vegas Raiders
At least there's one team on that list that the Broncos play, the Detroit Lions.
Opponents ranked by points scored after week 3
I just realized, it helps to have a reference point. The Broncos were ranked number 12.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Philadelphia Eagles
9. Dallas Cowboys
12. Kansas City Chiefs
14. Los Angeles Chargers
15. Baltimore Ravens
17. New York Giants
19. Cleveland Browns
21. New York Jets
23. Las Vegas Raiders
24. Washington The Football Team
27. Pittsburgh Steelers
28. Denver Broncos
30. Jacksonville Jaguars
31. Detroit Lions
Today's teams ranked by stats
Broncos (4-4)
23rd
21st
18th
20th
13
4
13
93%
0
25
0
0
0
0
-2
Won 1
Cowboys (6-1)
3rd
1st
3rd
2nd
18
6
14
78%
0
12
0
0
0
3
+5
Won 6
Outlook
The Broncos traded Von Miller to the Rams this week. Will that energize the defense this week?
I wonder how many points the Broncos will put on the board.
Should be an interesting game to watch. I just wish it was an afternoon game.
Game Time
Sunday November 7 @ 11 AM MT
Looking Ahead to Future Opponents
Preseason Outlook
WeekTeamWinning %Win(s) 1Vikings0%0 2Seahawks33%1 3Rams00
First Quarter Outlook
WeekTeamWinning %Win(s) 1Giants25%2 2Jaguars14%1 3Jets29%2 4Ravens71%5
Second Quarter Outlook
WeekTeamWinning %Win(s) 5Steelers57%4 6Raiders71%5 7Browns50%4 8Football Team25%2
Third Quarter Outlook
WeekTeamWinning %Win(s) 9Cowboys86%6 10Eagles38%3 12Chargers57%4 13Chiefs50%4
Fourth Quarter Outlook
WeekTeamWinning %Win(s) 14Lions00 15Bengals63%5 16Raiders71%5 17Chargers57%4 18Chiefs50%4
A red line, might be wavy, indicates a loss.A green line, might be double, indicates a win.*(records as of October 16,2021)
