You didn’t have to watch the Denver Broncos loss to the New England Patriots to know how poorly Jordan Norwood played; if you opened your phone or went into work the next day, you probably heard about it from everyone within shouting distance.
But, yes, he was miserable.
Not only did he fumble the first punt he received in the game, giving the ball back to the Patriots in prime scoring position, but he fumbled away another ball on the Broncos’ final offensive play to seal the game away for good.
Plus, after the first mishap, he looked entirely timid returning kicks, allowing them to bounce an additional 10 to 15 yards, as opposed to fair catching them in front of Patriot defenders.
When asked why Gary Kubiak had Norwood returning punts in the first place — he was benched a few weeks back for mishandling two returns in one game — he said that he needed Norwood for what he brought to the offense.
Unfortunately, he didn’t bring much of anything to the offense, either.
In fact, Pro Football Focus graded Norwood out as the worst slot receiver in the NFL last weekend.
“Norwood struggled in the passing game for the Broncos,” Bryson Vesnaver wrote. “He was only targeted once all afternoon, and while he did catch the pass, and gain 13 yards, he promptly fumbled the ball.”
To pour salt in the wound, Norwood was also PFF’s lowest graded kick returner of the week, making him the first player to ever make PFF’s “Lowest-Graded Player At Every Position In The NFL” list twice in one week.
That’s not great.
We’ll see if Kubiak makes the decision to go back to Kalif Raymond this week. If he doesn’t, Broncos Country is sure to throw a fit.
