Mile High Sports

Broncos fumble away chance for gritty win in Tennessee, fall 13-10

Casey Light

On a day when it looked like the decision to not kick a field goal could have cost the Broncos the chance at a win, it was their inability to hold on to the football that was their ultimate undoing.

A first-half fumble by newly acquired Justin Forsett helped put the Broncos in a 13-0 hole in the first half. A fumble in the game’s closing seconds by former Patriot A.J. Derby made certain that Denver would not have a chance to tie things. The pair of fumbles and recoveries were Tennessee’s first on the season.

Trevor Siemian and his top two targets were excellent in the second half, but their 226 passing yards were not enough in the end. Siemian ended the day with 334 yard passing on 35-of-51 passing and both Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas went over 100 yards receiving on the day. Denver produced just 18 yards rushing though, in a tough first game for Justin Forsett.

After forcing a Titans punt on the opening drive of the second half, Emmanuel Sanders had a crucial drop followed by a Russell Okung holding penalty to stall what looked like a promising start for the offense. Trevor Siemian connected with Sanders twice and Jordan Taylor once to push the ball past midfield, but for the fifth time in the game, Riley Dixon had to punt.

Tennessee went three and out on the next drive, but a Justin Simmons holding penalty gave the offense the ball inside the Titans’ 30 instead of at their 37.

Justin Forsett broke free on the outside for a gain of 33 yards, but a Matt Paradis hold negated Denver’s biggest run of the game to that point. Gary Kubiak and Joe DeCamillis, perhaps sensing their playoff chances slipping away, called a fake punt where Dixon hit Cody Latimer for a first down. Siemian then hit Demaryius Thomas on a 34-yard reception to put Denver in the red zone. Siemian again connected with Thomas to convert a third down, Denver’s first in 17 tries (a span stretching more than four quarters) to set up first-and-goal. Four plays later, though, Denver remained scoreless as Trevor Siemian could not connect with Thomas on third or fourth down.

A relentless pass rush on Tennessee’s ensuing possession resulted in a DeMarcus Ware sack on third down and moving him into eighth place in NFL history. It also set up a beautiful punt return by Kalif Raymond, who got Denver the ball to the 41-yard line which was aided by a Titans penalty to give Denver prime field position.

Siemian hit Sanders to open the drive and get Denver into the red zone. Thomas muscled his way to a first-and-goal at the Tennessee 3-yard line for Denver’s second chance at points on the day. The offense finally broke through when Siemian hit Sanders for six points.

Denver special teams bailed out a Sanders celebration penalty when the snuffed the ensuing kickoff return at the 18-yard line. Von Miller came up huge on the next drive, making a tackle and getting pressure on third down to force a third consecutive three-and-out for the Titans.

Emmanuel Sanders tied a career high with 11 receptions in the game, pulling in a pair catches on the next drive and helping set up a Broncos first-and-goal. Superb play by the Tennessee secondary snuffed two possible touchdown passes and forced a 34-yard Brandon McManus field goal to bring Denver within three, 13-10. Bennie Fowler nearly caught a go-ahead touchdown, but he was upended and could not corral a dart as he fell to the ground.

The defense again clamped down after allowing a quick first down, forcing another punt – Tennessee’s fifth of the half. Brett Kern was superb, though, pinning Denver on their 2-yard line with 2:26 to play.

Siemian and Thomas converted a crucial third-and-four to open the drive, then connected on the next two passes to give Denver hope of a long field goal for Brandon McManus. For a moment, it looked like Kubiak’s decision to not take the points earlier in the half would cost Denver a possible win. Their second fumble on the day ensured it.

Siemian hit Derby at the Denver 29, but the former Patriot had the ball stripped from his hands and Tennessee recovered the ball. With no timeouts, Denver could not stop the clock and Tennessee escaped with a 13-10 win. Even if Denver would have kicked the earlier field goal, Tennessee still would have had a good look at their own game-winning kick attempt.

The loss puts Denver’s playoff chances in serious peril. The Broncos close the season with three of the top teams in the AFC, New England, Kansas City and Oakland, needing badly to win at least two of three to give themselves a legitimate chance at making the postseason. Denver (8-4) is battling Miami and Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot.

Here’s how the second half unfolded through the eyes of the MHS team and some of our favorite follows in the Denver media…

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