There’s no way around it. Sunday’s loss to the Oakland Raiders was the worst of the year. Forget Peyton Manning‘s second spoiled homecoming in Indianapolis or his four-interception day against Kansas City. A 15-12 loss to the Raiders after holding Oakland to -12 total yards in the first half is about as bad as it gets.
The Broncos sat in the driver’s seat for the AFC after watching the Pittsburgh Steelers steamroll the Cincinnati Bengals in an early game. Instead of finding high gear, the Broncos offense slipped the clutch and let victory and the No. 1 seed go speeding by in the form of the New England Patriots.
Denver’s offense stalled out, being held scoreless in the second half for the second consecutive week. Instead of entering a crucial Week 15 trip to Pittsburgh with a four-game winning streak in tow, the Broncos are leaking fluids just trying to keep the car on the road.
But enough with the automotive metaphors. It’s time to dissect the best and worst performances of the week. It’s a mostly dud-filled list in this week’s edition of “Studs and Duds.”
