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LEGWOLD: Playoff chances fade away with loss to Raiders

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 2, 2007 at 3:04 p.m.
Updated December 2, 2007 at 8:02 p.m.

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OAKLAND – With the dirt ready to be piled on to the 2007 season, the Broncos will awake Monday and discover they are all out of meetings.

And the mojo tank now appears to be empty again. All of the good will, good tidings and spark of an autumn jumpstart they had following a players' gathering last month is now officially gone.

Gone in spectacular season-buckling fashion after a messy, mistake-filled 34-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders Sunday in McAfee Coliseum.

"They beat us in every phase,'' said safety John Lynch. " . . . This one's hard to put a finger on with so much on the line. I really thought we'd come out and respond well and we just didn't. Again, they beat us in every phase and you aren't going to win many football games when that happens.''

They will certainly cling to the mathematics of the AFC West race, because right now that's all they have. They will sprinkle in some discussion of heart and pride, but with four games remaining, sitting at 5-7, they need a four-game winning streak to simply climb to the level of disappointment they had following the 9-7 finish in '06.

"You've got to be professional . . . you've got to face reality,'' Lynch said. "We were of the mindset we probably had to win five to get in. This was the first of those and we lost that first round so now we've just got to go back. This is where you see the true character of a team because it's not looking too good when it comes to playoffs.''

"I don't know, I don't keep track of that stuff,'' said quarterback Jay Cutler. "I just try to take it one game at a time, one week at a time, one practice at a time and go from there. We'll see how it shakes out.''

How it shakes out is the Broncos need a four-game winning streak to even get themselves in the column of consideration.

No small item since their longest winning streak thus far this season is the two-game affair – the wins over Kansas City and Tennessee – following the team meeting.

A team meeting that was about responsibility and doing jobs, one about regaining the focus on the goals the Broncos had in July that have simply not matched their struggle into December.

"Right now, we're not playing like we're capable of playing, we're not consistent,'' said Broncos tight end Daniel Graham. "All we can do right now is just finish off the season strong and just see what kind of character and heart this team has.''

In Shanahan's tenure, which began in 1995, this edition of the Broncos has now joined the 1999 team as the only two in that span to have three losing streaks of at least two games in the same season.

In the rest the Broncos were good enough to pull themselves out of an extended funk for the most part, good enough to keep themselves from falling again once they got up off the mat.

This team followed two wins with three losses, followed the next win with two losses and now followed two wins with the crushing loss in Chicago followed by Sunday's cave-in.

"We didn't play good football,'' Lynch said. "Penalties beat us, turnovers beat us, not stopping the run beat us, we didn't run the ball as effectively as we could have. You look at all those things and you really don't give yourself a chance to win.''

With the chances to fix any of that now just about gone with the rest of the calendar pages.

Run over

Two teams jogged onto the field Sunday having each spent time as the NFL's 32nd-ranked run defense.

Only one looked it.

The Broncos, who had clawed their way to 29th over previous three games after five weeks in the bottom spot, surrendered 175 yards rushing to the Raiders, 146 of that coming on 33 carries by Justin Fargas.

"We've been working on that run defense, not good enough (Sunday),'' Shanahan said. " . . . Credit them for sticking it down our throats, doing what they needed to do.''

The Broncos struggled mightily early in the season with their gap-control defense, but had at least some success by adding a safety down near the line of scrimmage more of late.

But the mistakes returned against the Raiders, as did some consistent inconsistency.

Fargas had seven carries of no gain, two of just one yard and three for negative yardage. All of that means 36 percent of the time Fargas gained one or fewer yards with the ball in his hands.

But he also had runs 17, 19 and 29 yards sprinkled among the rest as the Broncos repeatedly lost the point of attack.

"Stop him, stop him, stop him, then he'd have a bust out,'' Lynch said. "What's disappointing a lot of that wasn't missing a tackle it was gap control. No one was there on a couple of them and that's inexcusable at this point in the season.''

Flag day

For those who struggle in the NFL bad things often happen at the worst times.

The Broncos are in the club right now. The mistakes they make are being seen and whether they agree or not all of the time, the flags are dropping.

"The penalties are hurting,'' Graham said.

Two of the most painful book-ended the game in the first and fourth quarters. On a fourth-and-three on the Raiders first possession, Oakland had punted the ball away, but Cecil Sapp was called for running into the punter.

Actually Sapp slip into Shane Lechler's leg, but Lechler fell and so did the flag, so the Raiders got the first down instead. Eight plays later they had a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

"I thought I was OK,'' Sapp said.

With the Raiders holding a 27-20 lead with 7:37 left in the game, they faced a third-and-8 from the Denver 41-yard line. Josh McCown threw incomplete, but both Karl Paymah and Domonique Foxworth were called for illegal contact downfield.

The Raiders declined the Paymah penalty, accepted Foxworth's and got another first down. Eight plays later – again – the Raiders had a touchdown, this one ending the Broncos chances.

"I watched the replay, it's the NFL, they want you to get out of the way,'' Foxworth said. "That's the thing I have a problem with, that's how it is in this league, you have to get out of the way. It wasn't that I was chasing him down and grabbing him, he was running right at me. They just don't call charges in the NFL so you better just get out of the guy's way.''

Grounded

One of the things some of Jay Cutler's teammates had talked about over his first 16 starts, was his ability to avoid the down-in-the-dumps game.

The 17th start wasn't quite as friendly.

"You can't win like that,'' Cutler said after. " . . . That's why we lost the game.''

Cutler had two interceptions, one the Raiders grabbed at the Broncos 27-yard line, and had a fumbled exchange with Travis Henry on a handoff Oakland recovered as well. He finished the day 16-of-32 passing for 214 yards and without a touchdown pass.

His passer rating of 45.6 was his first below 70 since his first career start – against Seattle last Dec. 3 – and it was just his third game of the year without a touchdown pass.

The Broncos have had injuries in the offensive line, at running back and at wide receiver, but Cutler was quick to say those in uniform have to find a way.

"It's tough, you know,'' Cutler said. "We're kind of beat up at that position, kind of beat up at receiver – when (Brandon Stokley) got beat up a little bit, Javon (Walker) may be 100 percent – so we're hurting offensively, but guys have got to fight through it.

"We've got guys in there who've got to do the job.''

Number that counts

2002 the last year the Raiders defeated the Broncos in Oakland, before Sunday. The Broncos' loss also broke a five-game winning streak overall Denver had with the Raiders with the last Oakland win before Sunday coming in Denver in 2004 during a snowstorm.

So negative

The Broncos have lost the turnover battle with six opponents this season and they have lost five of those games.

Opponent +/- Result

Jacksonville Minus-1 L, 24-13

At Indianapolis Minus-2 L, 38-20

San Diego Minus-3 L, 41-3

Green Bay Minus-1 L, 19-13

Detroit Minus-3 L, 44-7

Oakland Minus-3 L, 38-20

Comments

  • December 2, 2007

    3:55 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    kr writes:

    I have said it before, and I will say it again,

    FIRE the entire coaching staff!

  • December 2, 2007

    4:54 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    vvsignin writes:

    Pathetic. 3rd and 11 with the game on the line and the defense can't make a stop. Pathetic. I agree with KR. Fire them all. Who cares if it takes another 10 years to rebuild, these clowns don't deserve to be paid.

  • December 2, 2007

    4:57 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    vvsignin writes:

    Oh yeah, and nice bite on the 3rd down bootleg. Morons.

  • December 2, 2007

    5:38 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sickandtired writes:

    Good grief. Do you think maybe the Broncos' "brain trust" - and I use that term loosely - could maybe find even a handful of defensive players with more than two brain cells? With a few exceptions, they act stupid, they play stupid, and in the post-game interviews they sound stupid. Football ain't rocket science, but this AIN'T WORKIN'!! Just because Mike and Ted say it should, it DOESN'T!

    And then Travis Pothead does his part, lays it on the ground. Whew, thank goodness he's not suspended yet!

    No wonder Cutler plays like it's all on him every play - it is!!

  • December 2, 2007

    5:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Rocco3454 writes:

    KR - I've said the same thing for five years. Shanahan is neither a genius or a mastermind. He took Dan Reeves' squad and stroked John Elway's ego. When those players were gone, so was the team. Shanahan's play calling is a joke and his draft/personnel decisions (players and coaches) have been an unmitigated disaster. Eight seasons to find a decent QB? But Bowen will NEVER unload him, I'm convinced. Just keep looking for one delusional post-game speech after another and more excuses.

  • December 2, 2007

    5:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Pigskin writes:

    Think the Raiders have Shamahan figured out? Think they've seen those rollout screens and "option" plays before?
    "sickandtired" has it right. Cutler plays like he does sometimes because he knows if the Broncos are going to win, it'll be in spite of Shamahan and crew.
    Matt Lapses had another fantastic outing (for those of you who actually watch line play). For an "elite" left tackle, he sure knows how to kill a drive.

  • December 2, 2007

    5:58 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    homeradam writes:

    Damn this team sucks. I said it last week and I'll say it again.....FIRE SHANAHAN and hire Sony Lubick.

  • December 2, 2007

    6:19 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    kr writes:

    With a couple of exceptions, the team is OK! All the mistakes

    week after week is purely very BAD coaching! I have said it

    before, and I will say it again,

    FIRE the entire coaching staff!

  • December 2, 2007

    6:35 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sickandtired writes:

    Hey!! You may have something there, homeradam! If Lubick could get back most of his old assistant coaches, that'd be a coaching staff I could pull for!

    Nah, makes too much sense. You know, Shanahan always talks about "the character of this football team". Lubick only ACTED with character - Shanahan talks about it. And in the NFL today, it's more important to TALK ABOUT IT, than to actually act that way.

    I will say this - BRANDON STOKLEY IS A STUD!! We'll see if they're smart enough to re-sign him. You know, just in case Brandon Marshall is the Broncos' version of the Nuggets' J.R. Smith. I'd say it's about even money right now on that ...

  • December 2, 2007

    6:52 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    jon writes:

    You guys need to lay off Shanahan! There are times when we all are not on top of our game. Be patient and look how this could benefit the team in the long run. It will make us more thankful when we start winning again!

    Shanahan is a winner and he will bring the Broncos back! The Broncos have had a lot to overcome with new defensive coaching strategies, so many new starters, and the lingering effects of the deaths of Derrant and Damien.

    I still believe Shanahan will have them winning again!

  • December 2, 2007

    8:48 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    socnorbsux writes:

    Does anyone believe me yet? The real master mind retired in 99. Shanny is not the coach that people think he is. Ask a few of his former players. Ask Clinton.

    Please stop talking about that money owed by AL BS. I'm a lawyer and out of curiosity I volunteered my time to read the contract and no one from DV would even talk to me. It's obviously cut and dry. Shanny is wrong and doesn't have a legal leg to stand on. It was all media hype and crap that he used to turn up the rivalry. A contract is very definite. A junior lawyer could handle the case. Or maybe one of the retained staff could handle this little task?

    I loved the game and watching Oakland. They are on the rise with players that they developed. The coaching staff has a big history with CSU and Sonny Lubick so it's hard not to hope that they get better. A lot of them learned how to be a man's man and work with people. Sonny didn't throw people under the bus no matter what. He is a stand up guy and people that worked with him learned that. I wish them the best with the CO connection that they have. It would be another Sonny success!!

  • December 2, 2007

    9:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Bobbyboy writes:

    We need to fire the GM before we fire Mike Shanahan. If the New England cheaters can field a superstar team, and still have 1 of the lowest payrolls in the league. The Broncos aren't making good business judgements. Or, New England also cheats on the salary cap too.

    The Broncos do make too many mistakes each game. I also wonder if they are ready to play. Mike must take responsibility for their their poor play and judgements. Gate Defense doesn't work in Denver. if I could remember, when coach Miami and Greenbay the teams were losers. He must go. I think he should not even make it past tuesday.

    The person that gave props to Matt Lapses must be the biggest homer. He gives up a sack every game. Our line play is not good. The QB doesn't get enough time to make all his reads. Our line is killing us. It doesn't show up in the stats. Yet, QB knock downs and sacks hurt the core of your team, the QB. Yes, they are fair run blockers, yet this not college. NFL teams like the Raiders will just stack the line. Hey, why are all the running backs are hurt. They take too many hits. Poor line pay. Plus, the FB play is poor. Sapp would be a backup on other teams. Yet, Co. homers love him becasue he is from CSU. We need a FB like Mike Aderson or Howard Griffin.