Ferris Bueller can take a day off. But Pat Surtain II cannot be absent.
One week after the coach and the quarterback squawked, talked and laughed about a sideline inferno that drew a comparison to a 1980s movie character, the Broncos learned how vulnerable they are without their best player.
On the Chargers’ first series, Surtain whipped his body on a tackle and slammed his head to the ground. He grabbed his facemask with both hands as Broncos Country hid its eyes. Surtain never returned, diagnosed with a concussion that will likely extend through the Saints game on Thursday given the number of protocol hurdles required to clear.
The Broncos without Pat felt like the Beatles without Paul. Or a drink without a straw.
With Surtain in the locker room, the Broncos fell behind 20-0 in the first half, booed off the field by the sellout crowd of 70,743. It felt like 40-0.
“When something like that happens, we have to be able to come together and have some fire. And we didn’t do that. It was kind of like a dark cloud over our head,” cornerback Riley Moss admitted. “It was a little bit of a funk. That’s something we have to work on, handling adversity better and getting through it.”
Sunday shone a harsh light on how far the Bo Nix offense is behind the defense and how chaotic life is without a star.
What other conclusion can we draw after the Chargers thumped Denver, 23-16?
In the NFL, the line between glorious and incompetence remains razor thin. There is little redeemable to say about Sir-Nix-A-Lot. Baby Got Back into the game with a fourth-quarter rally, but those were empty calories against a prevent defense.
Resilience is admirable, but I despise praising professional athletes for not quitting (tracing to 15 years of covering the try-hard Rockies who too often wanted Capri Suns and orange slices for keeping games close).
The Broncos provided a flicker of hope. So what? It does not erase getting their ears boxed for 50 minutes until they finally scored, avoiding the indignity of the first home shutout in franchise history. Coach Sean Payton conceded as much.
“We did all the things you can’t do in a game like that,” Payton said. “It starts with me. We have to be a lot better.”
In order for the Broncos to win, they have to do something that defies logic. They must have their best player survive collisions, avoid tight hamstrings and sprinkle in some dazzle. In absence of that, Payton must continue to evolve offensively.
The Broncos stink early at home. They have not scored in the first quarter in three games. They have been shut out twice in the first half. And three times in six games if we count the roadie against the Jets.
Sunday’s spiral began with Nix’s first pass. Given a clean pocket, he fired high over the middle to intended target Marvin Mims Jr., leading to an interception, his first since Week 2 against Pittsburgh.
It triggered an alarming chain of events. The Broncos defense could not get off the field — the Chargers converted 8 of 10 third downs in the first half — and the offense could not stay on it.
“We cannot start slow,” right guard Quinn Meinerz said.
At halftime, the Chargers had 16 first downs. The Broncos had 20 offensive plays. Nix completed one pass to a Bronco in the first quarter, and one to a Charger. The Broncos need balance, but this is ridiculous.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that Payton needs to simplify his personnel groups, employ more uptempo and provide his rookie quarterback room to freelance. It is not ideal, but it is necessary to provide a jolt until the running game blossoms or a second receiver beyond Courtland Sutton emerges.
“There are two ways this can go. You can go backward, let it defeat you, let it crush you, or you can move forward,” said Nix, who posted 253 of his 277 total yards in the second half. “Today didn’t settle well with us.”
This game offered a measuring stick for the Broncos as a potential playoff team and the Chargers took it out of their backpack and beat them over the head with it. A Jim Harbaugh club offers no surprises. The Chargers punched the Broncos in the mouth, rushing for 128 yards and holding Denver’s running backs to 44 yards on 11 carries.
No Pat, no chance?
“Shoot, I am going to put in on the defensive line,” said John Franklin-Myers. “We have to play better when that happens and we didn’t.”
Context suggests that we should not overreact because there wasn’t much time between their worst game (Sunday) and best performance (last Sunday). But that is flawed logic because the offense has quietly been suspect since the opener.
During the three-game win streak, the Broncos converted 26% of their third downs (10 of 39). The Broncos were only allowing touchdowns on 12% of drives, and holding opponents to 11 points per game. The defense playing that well was not sustainable, especially without Surtain and with an offense not carrying its weight.
Opponents cannot stand Pat. The Broncos could not stand without him.
They believe they are better than this. Thursday represents a chance to prove they are not a knock-off team that just got hot.
“We have to have more urgency. We know we can be more physical,” edge rusher Nik Bonitto said. “We have to flush it real fast because if we don’t we are going to get whooped just like we did today.”
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