I can’t remember a Denver Bronco football game with so many emotional mood swings in the final two minutes of a game.

With 31-seconds remaining, Joe Flacco hit Emmanuel Sanders in the corner of the end-zone for a touchdown. That score decreased the Bears lead by a point.

Vic Fangio elected to go for a 2-point conversion attempt to win the game 14-13. On the ensuing attempt the Broncos suffered a delay of game penalty which brought the ball back to the Denver 7-yard line and out of 2-pt conversion attempt territory.

On the PAT field goal attempt to tie the game and potentially go into overtime, Bronco kicker Brandon McManus missed the field goal wide right. Then, a flag was thrown on the play, offsides on Chicago Bears defense back Buster Skrine. That offsides penalty brought the ball back to the 2-yard line where Fangio elected for another 2-point conversion attempt. This time Flacco offensive coordinator spread out the Bears defense which created a one on one matchup with Emmanuel Sanders and a Bears defensive back. Sanders gave the defender a shimmy and caught the quick out from Flacco which seemed to be the game winning 2-point conversion play.

The Denver Broncos went from not being able to score a touchdown all game, to converting two crucial 4th downs during the 4th quarter and a 2-point conversation.

By the time the clock hit triple zero, the Broncos became the first team in the NFL to lose a game after a successful 2-point conversion attempt in the 4th quarter since 1994.

The Broncos are now 0-2 for just the 3rd time in 51 years.

The Good

Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton

I was curious to see how offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello would come out against the Bears, after calling a jet sweep to rookie tight end Noah Fant on the first play of the season last week.

The first play call went to Emmanuel Sanders, which was a recipe for success. Sanders finished his productive and busy day with 11-catches for 98-yards and what was thought to be the game winning touchdown. Emmanuel Sanders was special throughout the entire contest and his consistency helped the Broncos offense get in rhythm.

Last week, Sanders could have finished with at least three touchdowns but he could not keep his footing on the bad field at the Oakland Coliseum. It was nice to see Emmanuel Sanders play like Emmanuel Sanders.

Courtland Sutton wasn’t as busy as Sanders but his 4-catches for 40-yards proved to be clutch and timely receptions that spear-headed the Broncos come-back. Sutton wasn’t targeted much throughout the game but he stepped up when needed. As a wide receiver, it’s easy to lose your focus when your not involved in the game-plan early on, but credit Sutton for staying sharp and ready when his number was called. Sutton caught two critical passes from Flacco on a 4th & 10 as well as a 4th & 3 late in the game which set up the Emmanuel Sanders go ahead score.

Big time players step up in big time moments so acknowledge Sutton for his performance on Sunday. Sutton needs to build upon this performance to further develop his confidence as a top tier level receiver.

It was important for somebody on the Broncos offense to show signs of life and Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton showed up ready to make plays.

Over the last couple seasons, the Broncos have been the NFL’s worst offensive team when moving the ball on the first possession. Their league leading 13 of 16 games starting with a three-and-out on offense in 2018 is a focal point for the 2019 version of the Broncos offense.

For the Broncos to move the ball downfield, picking up multiple first downs and ultimately getting points was huge for team moral.

Joe Flacco Performance

“Joe Cool”, the quarterback who threw Sutton and Sanders the football, also had a nice game. Flacco wasn’t spectacular but he played a typical Joe Flacco game which was good enough to win.

A good game from Joe Flacco is a game in which he gives you a chance to win not necessarily putting up big numbers. Flacco started the game 10-for-10, not throwing his first incompletion until the 4:22 mark in the 2nd quarter.

The one glaring mistake Flacco had all game, was the interception to Kyle Fuller on the goal line with less than 5 minutes remaining. The interception seemed to be a game-ending play for the Broncos.

That particular play-call was a one read type of play that was meant to go to Sanders basically no matter what.

Fuller and the other Bears defensive back didn’t allow themselves to get screened by the Broncos receivers who were attempting to “pick” them. The Bears defensive backs switched assignments on who they were man-to-man with and because of a bad throw, Fuller was in perfect position to nearly take it back 100 yards for the touchdown. It was a smart read by Fuller who led the NFL in interceptions last season with 7.

This was a pivotal mistake in the game, the Broncos were working on a 16-play, 84-yard drive that took 8 minutes off the clock. For the Broncos not to come up with points that possession, was detrimental to the team.

Besides that one blunder, I thought Flacco got the ball out quick which held the Bears dangerous pass rush in check.

Flacco delivered big time throws in crucial moments.

The Broncos converted three sepertate 4th down conversions and they were all throws from Flacco.

The ball Flacco threw to Emmanuel Sanders in the corner of the end zone was a absolute dime that gave the Broncos the lead late in the 4th quarter. Flacco went 35-for-50 with 292 yards, a touchdown and a interception.

Good enough performance to win.

The Broncos secondary

Justin Simmons or Kareem Jackson.

Hard to say who had a better game, but without question they were Denver’s best defenders Sunday afternoon.

All the players in the Broncos secondary played a great game on Sunday, especially the safeties. Mitch Trubisky finished the game passing for only 120 yards and zero touchdowns.

Justin Simmons was literally everywhere on the field against the Bears. Simmons had 9 tackles and 3 passes defended. He was special on Sunday being very decisive in pass coverage. His breaks on the balls were quick and he used his length to rip the ball away from receivers. Whether it was covering tight ends or slot receivers Justin Simmons was among the best players on the field for the Broncos.

Kareem Jackson was equally impressive with 5 solo tackles and a couple passes defended. The versatility of the Broncos secondary allow head coach Vic Fangio to disguise a lot of coverages and blitzes. Trubisky wasn’t pressured much but the secondary of the Broncos had Trubisky flustered and frustrated.

The Broncos are one of four teams without a forced turnover yet this season.

The Broncos pass rush and secondary are not in unison yet so the turnovers are not occurring. When the defense puts a full 60-minute game together, the forced turnovers will come.

The Bad

The Bronco pass rush

Before the season, if I told you the Denver Broncos would have zero sacks after the conclusion of the first two games of the season you definitely would not believe me.

Von Miller and Bradley Chubb were projected to finish with 30+ sacks combined sacks by respected journalists in the industry.

Through the first two weeks of the 2019 NFL season they have none.

During the first half of the game Miller and Chubb didn’t even get a quarterback pressure or hit on Mitch Trubisky.

Both players did play very well in the run game though.

It just seemed like Von Miller and Bradley Chubb went missing when the Broncos needed them the most. Regardless of how the game went, Von Miller had a chance to make amends on the last possession of the game before Trubisky hit Robinson for a 20-yard gain which set up the Bears game winning field goal.

It seemed like a “welcome to the 2019 season Von Miller moment”, but he didn’t get a sack that drive which would have ended the game.

The Broncos rushed four and five guys on multiple occasions throughout the game but nobody was able to get home.

As frustrating as it is for Chubb and Miller, they must keep chipping away because those sacks will come. With the abilities and skill they both possess, a three or four sack game from each of them is not out of the question. Even though they have zero sacks I still believe both players have played well in the run game and luckily the secondary has held up decent enough to win games.

Chris Harris Jr Touches Allen Robinson down with 1 second remaining

Chris Harris Jr, the Broncos all-pro corner was nearly perfect all game shadowing Allen Robinson until literally the last couple seconds.

Allen Robinson caught a 20-yard dig route on a scramble drill with less than five seconds remaining. After the catch, Robinson immediately gave him-self up by hitting the turf right away. Chris Harris Jr touched Robinson which allowed the Bears to take their last final timeout with exactly one second on the clock.

As a player, it’s hard to think about things like this on the fly. This is why most teams typically during a Friday practice, walk-through situational football as well as personnel substitutions.

Chris Harris Jr is truly one of the smarter players on the entire football team but he made a costly mistake by touching Robinson. It was a high-intensity moment so I understand why a player wouldn’t think about that but if he literally allowed Robinson to roll around for a second longer, the Bears can’t call their final timeout which led to the game winning 53-yard field goal.

Penalties

Penalties killed the Broncos chance at winning the football game Sunday. The Broncos finished with 10 penalties with over 80 yards of field position effected.

It was the timing of some of the penalties that made it worse. Ron Leary, veteran guard who the Broncos are counting on this season, had two costly penalties on 3rd down that forced the Broncos in difficult situations. One of the holding penalties by Leary took the Broncos out of field goal range, which took 3 potential points off the board.

The reason Courtland Sutton was able to make so many big plays on 4th down was due to Ron Leary holding penalties on critical third-downs. Ron Leary is not 100% healthy but if you’re on the field you’re expected to perform at a high level and that includes mentally, by not committing penalties.

The worst penalty of the night was highly controversial and may have cost the Broncos a win. This controversial call is also apart of the “ugly” that occurred in week 2.

The Ugly

Roughing the passer penalty on Bradley Chubb

With under 15-seconds left, Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky dropped back for a pass in his own territory. Trubisky threw the ball away because of the pressure that came rumbling his way. Upon release of the pass, Broncos star pass rusher Bradley Chubb was flagged for a very controversial roughing the passer penalty which gave the Bears a automatic first down and a free 15 yards with the clocked stopped.

Without this flag, the Bears would have the ball with under ten seconds left and about 40-yards to get into field goal range. The “roughing the passer” penalty gave the Bears new life which ultimately led to a Broncos defeat.

The referees were consistent with that call throughout the game.

Eddie Goldman on the Bears was also flagged for the same penalty in the 3rd quarter on what looked like a regular hit on Flacco. Akiem Hicks was also flagged earlier in the first half for a hit on Broncos tight end Noah Fant which seemed like a normal hit as well.

The NFL should really look into going back to the football that the fans love instead of this soft, flag football style of game-play.

I understand trying to keep the players safe but at this point, they are compromising the game of football by enforcing these rules.

Other sports, especially the NBA, the referees tend to shy away from blowing their whistle in the 4th quarter because they want the players to decide the outcome of the game, not the officials.

To many bad penalties or controversial decisions by NFL referees have led to important losses by multiple franchises in big games.

Garret Bolles

The growing trend around the local Denver media is to refer to former first round pick Garret Bolles as #72.

#72, since entering the league in 2017 has a league leading 19 holding penalties which is by far #1 in the NFL.

Sunday against the Bears #72 put up his worst performance yet.

#72 was called for a record-setting four holding penalties in one game. At one point in the broadcast, Mark Schlereth, former Denver Bronco Super Bowl champion and commentator for fox sports, ripped #72 over and over again. Schlereth even pointed out how #72 had more holding penalties than the Broncos had points.

#72’s, four holding penalties was the most in one game since Will Beaty accomplished this feat eight years ago for the New York Giants. Like Ron Leary, #72’s holding penalties held the Broncos back from potential points, killing drives by backing the offense up. Penalties are the number one “drive killer” for a football team and the broncos had plenty of those to go around, led by #72.

The Denver Bronco fan base is fed up with #72.

After each penalty call you can hear the loud “boos” that rang down from the Mile High stadium crowd. I’m sure this effects #72 in a negative way, but he left the fans with no other option.

Coming out of the University of Utah, #72 actually led the FBS in holding penalties.

In the 2017 NFL draft there was only two projected first round lineman. One of these players was ranked high based off athleticism while the other was regarded as a technician.

The two players were Garret Bolles (#72) and Ryan Ramczyk.

Ramczyk, was selected in the first round (32nd overall) and is widely regarded as one of the best tackles in football. The New Orleans Saints drafted Ramczyk.

Bolles (#72), was selected in the first round (20th overall) and is the most penalized lineman in football for 2 years in a row and is working on a third year in a row. The Denver Broncos drafted Bolles (#72).

#72, along with Paxton Lynch, represent back-to-back seasons of total busts in the first round of the draft for John Elway and the Denver Broncos organization.

When you miss so badly in the first round of the draft, it’s almost certain your football team will take a step or two down in the years to come. It’s important to remember the Broncos are only five years removed from a Super Bowl Championship, but have taken the biggest fall from any Super Bowl winning team these last few years due to bad draft picks.

It’s important to note, John Elway drafted very well in 2018 and 2019 though.

The Broncos don’t have much depth behind #72 with the injury of Ju’wann James who they signed this off-season.

James will miss multiple games which handicaps the Broncos from making a change at the postiton. Until James comes back, the Broncos are stuck with #72 holding, unless they make a big splashy trade with the Washington Redskins.

The Broncos and Redskins have a history of blockbuster trades with the swap of Champ Bailey and Clinton Portis.

If the Broncos can acquire Trent Williams in a trade, maybe that will be the move this Denver Bronco offense needs to reach their ceiling in 2019.

The Redskins are saying they will not trade Trent Williams but everybody has a price. If John Elway can offer enough assets, I think the Broncos can get the 31-year old All-Pro tackle.