5 Reasons to Be Optimistic Despite the Denver Broncos’ Crushing Loss to the Kansas City Chiefs

From all the losses Denver Broncos Sunday’s 16-14 defeat this season Kansas City ChiefsIt is undoubtedly the most painful. Not only did the Broncos lose to their division rival, they also lost on a blocked field goal after a strong effort to get themselves into field goal range as time expired.

But despite the loss, the Broncos did a lot of good and there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic in the weeks ahead. Let’s examine the reasons why Broncos fans can still find reasons to look forward to what’s to come, even after an absolutely painful defeat.

Although Bo Nix’s statistical line was not very impressive, he was playing more confidently than in previous matches. He finished with a 73.3 completion percentage, 215 passing yards and two touchdowns, also pinched his passes and stood tall in the pocket under pressure.

There were times when Nix wasn’t quick enough to get out of the pocket, but for the most part he made good decisions and found ways to stretch his drives. Two plays stood out, both passes being passed to Courtland Sutton.

Nix’s second touchdown pass of the game saw him throw a great ball to Sutton, who beat Trent McDuffie in coverage. The second pass went to Sutton on the Broncos’ final drive; It was a key third down that brought the Broncos into Chiefs territory.

Doing the things Nix did against a top-flight defense — which is where the Chiefs’ greatest strength lies — says a lot about how far he’s come this season.

Again, there weren’t many players that stood out in the box score. However, as the game progressed, we saw young attackers showing that they could make a difference on the field.

Rookie running back Audric Estime had easily his best game of the season. He ran with purpose, showed good vision for finding the hole and most importantly took care of the ball. Estime has shown that he has what it takes to be a standout player.

Wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. played with more confidence at Arrowhead. He appears to have found a role on offense, including at running back, as someone who can work the backfield and score yards on the bubble screen when there is a block. Mims also had one of the best punt returns this season.

Rookie winger Devaughn Vele is rebounding after being sidelined earlier this season with a rib injury. He made several clutch catches and ran a good route that led to the first touchdown of his NFL career.

The Broncos definitely need more help on offense, but this team already has some players who can contribute. All they need is more experience and more work on the part of the coaches to find their suitable role.

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Patrick Mahomes entered the game with an ankle injury, but make no mistake; The Broncos went after him on offense, and the pressure was getting to him at times. The Broncos had four different players sack Mahomes.

Had there not been a penalty on one play and Mahomes somehow cleared the ball on the other play, Nik Bonitto would have had multiple sacks. Evidence of the pressure came late in the game when Mahomes got Travis Kelce wide open in the end zone, but the ball went right over him. True, Mahomes wasn’t 100%, but it’s still a throw he usually makes.

After a tough match against Baltimore RavensThe Broncos defense could easily have allowed Mahomes and the Chiefs to dictate the game. Although the Chiefs made some moves, the Broncos defense didn’t make it easy.

You’d expect teams to be unhappy about the missed play, especially in a game where the Broncos were in position to make the game-winning shot. But even though the players were clearly not happy, their attitude sent a different signal than teams in the past. Instead of pretending to be resigned to their fate, they made it clear that they had to do better.

It’s easy to criticize the Broncos for not being more aggressive on the final drive, but it was clear what the intent was: to ensure that Mahomes and the Chiefs offense could never get the ball back. When Kansas City saw what was happening, Sean Payton even made Andy Reid use his timeout.

From start to finish and postgame, the Broncos’ attitude is clear: They expect to win. A winning culture is being built here and that’s something the coaching staff appreciates.

Heading into the season, many thought the Broncos might be lucky to win five games. Now that 10 games are gone, looking at the upcoming schedule, the Broncos have a good chance of easily getting past five wins.

Atlanta Falcons They are good but they are flawed and they hurt the poor New Orleans Saints. Las Vegas Raiders They are struggling after a 2-2 start to the season and Cleveland Browns They also struggled.

After the Broncos bye week, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles ChargersAnd Cincinnati Bengals — All teams with problems. While nothing can be taken for granted, the Broncos have plenty of winnable games ahead of them.

If the Broncos can put together a strong effort in the next three games, they could go 3-0 heading into the bye week. This would keep them in the play-off hunt; This was something few pundits expected this season.

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