Dud No. 3 & 3a – Derek Wolfe & Malik Jackson
If there has been one weakness of the Broncos NFL-leading defense on the year, it has been their propensity for taking bad penalties at bad times. They’ve managed to escape those mistakes and convert big plays late in games, but on Sunday one of those penalties almost cost Denver the game.
Wolfe’s roughing the passer penalty late in the fourth quarter gave Josh McCown a first down after knocking the Browns QB to the ground well after he’d thrown a pass out of bounds and given up on the play. Instead of a third down and four, Cleveland moved the ball 15 yards and eventually into field goal range to tie the game. It was an unnecessary and careless penalty that could have been worse had Denver not held Cleveland to a field goal.
Earlier in the game, Malik Jackson was flagged for a 15-yard facemask penalty, also on a third down stop. The infraction was less egregious than Wolfe’s, as it was in the heat of a play, but the penalty again moved the chains instead of forcing a punt. It was his second straight week with a personal foul penalty that came at an inopportune time. Jackson was bailed out by Aqib Talib, who made a huge play to end the drive for Cleveland.
In fact, it made him one of our three “studs” on the day…
