By now, just about everyone has seen the all-out brawl that occurred between the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders during the first quarter of the AFC West showdown.
During the first quarter, Broncos’ cornerback Aqib Talib revisited his rivalry with Raiders’ receiver Michael Crabtree after Crabtree continued to block Talib onto the sidelines. That triggered a melee which led to three players being ejected from the game, including Talib.
From there, the Broncos’ defense simply didn’t look the same without Talib in the secondary, a troubling sign that the “No-Fly Zone” might fade into just a memory of the past should Talib be forced to miss time after yet another on-field incident. While All-Pro Chris Harris Jr. and fellow cornerback Bradley Roby continued their respective roles in the secondary, rookie cornerback Brendan Langley was thrust into the defense as a replacement for Talib.
The results were less than stellar, as Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr immediately targeted Langley with a touchdown pass to Pro-Bowl receiver Amari Cooper. Langley, who had one-on-one coverage with Cooper, was beaten badly on the route, getting completely turned around as Cooper ran right past him to catch Carr’s lofted pass. Cooper would later leave the game with a head injury after taking a hard shot from safety Darian Stewart.
Even with Cooper pulled from the game, Langley would continue to get abused in coverage all game. Langley drew an obvious pass interference on the Raiders’ next red-zone drive, which would later result in a Marshawn Lynch touchdown run.
After a furious fourth quarter comeback led by quarterback Trevor Siemian, the Broncos were in a position to get the ball back to the offense with just over two minutes left in the game. Instead, on a third down play, Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr heaved a pass downfield, connecting with receiver Cordarrelle Patterson for a 54-yard catch-and-run after Patterson breezed by Langley once again and outran the Broncos’ entire secondary’s poor tackling.
Carr would finish 18-for-24 for 253 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions, despite missing the Raiders’ two best receivers for most of the game.
As it stands now, the defense is not prepared to step up in the absence of Talib. Harris Jr. should continue his All-Pro level of play, but Roby and Langley have displayed that they are not ready to contribute at the level Talib has. Roby is one week removed from the worst game of his career against A.J. Green and the Cincinnati Bengals, while Langley struggled mightily in his first major action on the field.
Simply put, the Broncos missed Talib’s play in this game. There has been much said about Talib’s future with the Broncos, varying from rumors about possibly being traded in the offseason to the Broncos preparing to part ways with Talib after the season due to his age and contract size. Talib has also had many off-the-field incidents during his career as a Bronco, and the team needs to prepare for a possible suspension from the NFL after Talib’s latest on-field incident.
The defense has played admirably throughout the year, despite the Broncos’ offense limiting this team’s full potential. This game appeared to be the breaking point for the defensive backfield, as the unit struggled all evening against the Cooper/Crabtree-less Raiders.
The Broncos have a lot to think about once the season concludes, which should include a decision about the defense and Talib’s future with the team — and how the “No Fly Zone” might look should they decide to part ways.
