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Published on 11/23/2008 at Sun Nov 23 17:34.
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Broncos Collapse in Second Half, Fall to Raiders 31-10

Posted Sun Nov 23rd by

Peyton Hillis vs. Raiders (Getty Images)
Broncos running backs only gained 84 yards on the ground. (Getty Images)

After two missed Matt Prater field goals and a Peyton Hillis fumble five yards shy of the end zone, the Broncos remained tied with the Raiders 3-3 with one minute left in the first half. Then Oakland returner Johnny Lee Higgins took the punt 85 yards for the touchdown, and it was all downhill from there. The Oakland Raiders (3-8) beat the Denver Broncos (6-5) in Denver by a final score of 31-10.

The Broncos, coming off back-to-back road wins against teams with better records than Oakland, will now head to New York to face the Jets, who just knocked off the last remaining undefeated team in football.

The San Diego Chargers, meanwhile, play the Indianapolis Colts tonight in a game that could put themselves back in the AFC West conversation.

There’s no pointing fingers for this game – EVERYBODY is to blame. The offense. The defense. The special teams. The coaching and playcalling. Nobody did their job, especially in the second half. The players looked like they packed it in in the fourth quarter, and the coaches did a horrible job of preparing this team for battle. It’s hard to call yourself a Broncos fan after games like this.

But fans we are, and I’m not giving up hope. This team will bounce back, and they’ll play better against New York. Personally, it just pisses me off that they can’t play with that type of mindset week in and week out.

Feel free to vent with me (but play nice, children)….

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  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    Thank you Indianapolis for keeping our two-game lead and helping us make the playoffs, host you, and then quickly make our exit out of the January tournament. Thank you.

  • AKscott

    its pretty easy to see how phil savage got into his “email trouble”

    =)

    http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/11/20/savage-acknowledges-e-mail/

  • Bobby

    Haha Kyle. Seriously though I’m getting tired of rooting for a Charger loss every week. This inconsistency is killing me.

  • J

    Thank you Indi! The way I see it we must win the next 4 games or hope Bolts lose at least to the Bucks.

    Is it just me or the Broncos play up to the competition? We beat good teams and lose to bad ones.

  • jchase8410

    Hey Kerry, I’m going to have to play a drinking game with your posts. I take a shot every time you say “pass the blame and divert attention” and chase. It with a beer every time you say “apologist”

    You post the same comment over and over, and when other people make points as valid as the ones you make, you disrespect their opinion by mocking them. What makes you so special that your opinion deserves respect when you are so closed-minded that you don’t reciprocate?

  • http://www.nfldraftdog.com/NFL%20Team%20Columns/nfl_team_column_main_page.htm James

    The AFC championship team from 2005 was blown up guys. The ony member from that team on the offense is the center. The defense was also blown up with only 3 players that I can think of in DJ Williams, Bailey, Ekuban. No one expected this team to be fighting for the Divsion with 5 weeks left.

    It takes 4-5 years to rebuild. I am happy to see tha the Offense has come a long way this year and in my opinion has a great new core.

    Now it’s time to put the emphasis on the defense. Just look at the top teams this year. The Titans were taking a top 10 pick just a coupe of years ago and so were the Jets. Now they are both looking to host a Divisional round playoff game.

    As far as Shanahan I don’t think that you have to call for his firing until we win under 4 games.

  • AKscott

    hope your off work tomorrow jchase.. gonna be a rough morning

    : )

  • Glenn

    Why do the Broncos continually “mail” in home games! Last week they looked good and this week they played like a poor high school team. Broncos repeat after me, “WE SUCK”.

  • http://merlinofchaos.livejournal.com E. Halsey Miles

    Kyle: We can’t let this site turn into this.

  • http://none Negative Ron

    That’s 3 losses in a row at home. There is nothing I can say. I’m disgusted. I’m tired of this amount of inconsistency because it is outrageous.

  • jchase8410

    Thanks AKscott, this has been the sh@ttiest week for me ever…a nice Kerry induced drunken stupor could do me some good…I have researched this Kerry fellow and this is what I came up with…fire this guy and go with my plan. Well what’s your plan? I have a plan. What is it? Follow my plan and all will be okay…he has a plan but won’t tell anyone what it is in a debate. He is…2004 democratic. Presidential nominee John Kerry

  • Matt

    The chargers lost! I dont care how we get into the playoffs as long as we get in. Even if we go out in the first round what a great experience for these young guys. Lets not forget how young we are. This season is a great experience for these guys. Even one playoff game would do wonders for the future. Look how many rookies we have contributing and they could have a playoff game under their belt. We have half of our defensive starters on the sideline. Its not like we are full of verterans and we are running out of time. We are young and good. Give these youngsters and shanahan some time. No doubt this loss sucked. They always do. But this season will come in handy later on. We do need to fill some holes in next years draft but i dont mind having a young team earn their stripes. We have young talent. Thats good!

  • ryan

    I am with you Matt. Its nice that the Chargers are practically forcing us into the playoffs. Cutler and our young guys will get to experience the playoffs and be better for it down the road. Realistically, I think we all need to accept that if the Broncos do make the playoffs, they will most likely be underdogs even in a home game.

  • Matt

    This team has huge upside. At the beginning of the season i wanted two rookies to make an impact, cutler to progress and for us to make the post season. So far so good. This season has not been perfect but we have some of the best young talent in the league. Blue chip freshman are still freshman and they are going to make mistakes. We are good now but we will be great. Just be happy we didnt waste a draft pick on leinart or young. Cutler is a stud. He makes plays. Best franchise in the world. I loved that hillis did the salute. I love the mile high salute!

  • Roy

    You know there is a part of me (a small part) that hopes we miss the playyoffs. Now, follow me through here.
    1.We would get a higher draft pick that we may be able to parlay into draft picks.
    2. It would hold Shanny accountable, which means
    3. We may get an actual O and D coordinator. Not Al Davis-esque puppets that are currently employed in that role.
    4. Sundquist. Maybe, just maybe he will get hired back. He ws a good balance for Shanny.

    We are not that far from being the “IT” team in the NFL again. There were some signings that we missed that I thought we should have tried to make (e.g. Gibril Wilson, Jonathan Vilma). I am not signing off on this year, but a good offseason would make all the difference. Look at what it did for the Dolphins.

  • Matt

    Look i think its fair if some think that shanahan should loosen his grip on all aspects of the organization. Im all for shanahan concentrating on more of the coaching aspects. But to hope the broncos dont make the playoffs? Why? I feel like some need to talk to a detroit lions fan or a fan of any other team that doesnt have a shot at making the playoffs. My buddy who is a raider fan called me to rub it in. But at the end he said “dude im just waiting for al davis to die so we can rebuild”. We have a chance to make the playoffs with a reallly young team. Why do other teams deserve a playoff berth over us? The AFC is full of up and down teams. Im all for making the playoffs and making a run. There is not one team in the NFL that the broncos couldnt beat on any given day. Im not ready to give up on the season for a slightly higher pick in next years draft. If we had 3 wins this year than i would be concentrating on next years draft.

  • jcampb72

    im embarressed…i give up.

  • jcampb72

    first round……RB!

  • jcampb72

    I can’t afford $350 a seat to see a my broncos get embarrassed by one of the worst teams in the league…..what a waste!

  • http://birty.blogspot.com mikebirty

    wow that game was beyond terrible. When the only positive you can find is the return of the mile high salute then it just goes to show how bad it was.

    I’m with kyle. Everyone’s to blame for this even us fans – how many stories, posts and comments were talking about playoff seeding or getting revenge on brett. Lets hope that the jets are as complacent against us as we were against the raiders.

    (and c’mon people – just ignore kerry, he’ll get bored soon.)

  • T-Money

    disgusting. horrible. made me cry. YET the CHARGERS ARE LETTING US OFF THE HOOK AGAIN!!!!!!

  • Roy

    Matt- you are right. I was pissed and bitter (I got it rubbed in my face too), don’t get me wrong, the playoffs would do a lot to build this young teams confidence. But-and this is a really big but- I think that should we make the playoffs Shanny may not be held accountable. He did much better as a coach when he onyl focused on being a head coach, not HC, OC, DC, GM. He is notorious for micro-managing. Most of theleague is structured with seperate people at those positions for a reason, it is simply too much work for one person, and it is high time Bowlen realizes that.

    T-Money- Do I sense a little Dennis Green in you?

    As a quick side note Al Davis is an embarrasment to the league, however, as long as he is there we can see the type of teams that will take the feild. I am not opposed to him living a few more years.

  • T-Money

    I know someone would get it

  • http://broncoszone.blogspot.com Jon Krause

    “The new can let’s in air for a smooth vent…”
    “Hey, you want me to start venting without you!”

    lol seen the ad?

    THE CHARGERS LOST!!

  • Matt

    Roy- I agree its too much for one person. I would not be opposed to him giving up some of his GM and DC duties. To be honest i thought Jim Bates was going to be the solution to part of this problem last year. Bringing in a GM could be a good start.

  • OC Bronco

    I doubt anyone scrolls down to see this but I have to get it off my chest…. Cutler has become a cry baby! I don’t even see Rivers pouting as much as Cutler. He is still young but someone has got to knock some sense in to him. He acts like Community Service is a chore. He isn’t good to fans on the street. But worse off, he bitches and complains every time a play doesn’t go our way.
    I know our boy is talented and I like that. But I need a guy I can get behind and believe in. Someone needs to wake him up and let him know how lucky he is to be in Denver and to be as talented as he is to make millions as the QB of the best franchise in Denver.
    As for the game…. I’m over it. Ashlie Lelie? That sickens me.

  • Boisebroncoguy

    Hey OC – I scrolled down. I think you have some valid points. I just hope it is a case of a very young QB having troubles dealing with the spotlight, expectations, and the pressures that go with all that. Hopefully, he’ll get better with age. Let’s hope he does ok when the media is reporting what candy he gave out for Halloween.

  • Johnbo

    the negativity is ridiculous, yeah, they lost…bad. theyre still 6-5 with a two game lead on the afc west. i don’t like seeing a loss as much as the next guy, but they happen. if anyone thought they were going to finish 12-4 or better, then they were wrong. just looks to me like theyre on pace to finish with a 10-6 record and a playoff berth. sucks, but oh well, theyre young…can’t go getting negative like this after every stinking loss.

  • Patrick

    Kerry you keep calling for Shanny’s head but who’s gonna take his place? I was wondering if any of you know where I can buy a tape of the game? My family was supposed to Tivo it and I wanna see if I made it on TV?

  • Dakota fan

    OC- I agree with you. I’m seeing Cutler act kind of like Lendale White did yesterday, throwing a little tantrum after the Titans lost their FIRST FRIGGIN’ GAME OF THE SEASON!!!

    But I’d rather be one of Michael Vick’s former dogs than be a QB in Denver. I went through every one of Elway’s 16 years in Denver (while living in the Dakotas, of course) and the guy couldn’t sneeze without a member of the Denver media saying “bless you” because they and the public watched his every move.

    Like Boise referred to the Halloween candy, I remember the SI story in ’89 when Elway claimed he was “about to suffocate” because the people of Denver wouldn’t let him breathe without watching him. Don’t get me wrong- Elway will always be my favorite Bronco of all time, but he had his tantrum moments, too.

    My suggestion is that Cutler shut his mouth and play ball and the fans shut their mouths and let him play ball (even if he does suck on a regular basis). I’m guessing from 400 miles away that a bunch of crybaby fans who think Cutler should invite them to his house for a party think he’s a cocky a**hole who is too good for the general public. They can’t all be John Lynches, now can they? If he continues to not produce, he’ll be gone.

    No QB is untouchable. Think Donovan McNabb will look good in Vikings purple?

  • Dakota fan

    Patrick- were you dressed as an empty blue seat? If so, I saw you in the second half about 50,000 times.

  • ryan

    If we were talking Shanahan replacements I think Cowher would be at the top of the list. But I think it would be a bad move to yank Shanahan, Cutler and the offense have and will continue to benefit from having the same system year in and year out.

  • http://www.getyourtinton.com precisiontint

    Maybe a reduction in power might work for Shanahan. What happens if a person can do whatever they want? Mistakes. Without someone to question his authority, he makes bad (and good) decisions. Whatever he does bad, bring someone better. I don’t want him to go, but I would like to see more of a team effort. From top to bottom.

  • Dakota fan

    Hey precisiontint- I would love to see a reduction in power for Shanahan. I’ve been standing behind him the whole time, but do you guys think it will happen if the last two draft classes (particularly this last one) actually pans out? Too soon to tell, but I don’t know a decent GM who would come to the Broncos right now.

    Here’s an idea, whether coach or GM- GARY KUBIAK? He and Shanahan made a pretty good team in their day, and I don’t know how much longer they’ll keep him in Houston.

    Any ideas?

  • olen

    Was Cutler affected a little by at least 3 roughing the Quarterback penalties ?Why was he off with his throws ? Nobody open———-?

  • andy

    Blame goes to offense, no question about it. Score the freeking ball!

    Defense holds the whole first half. Beautiful goal line stand (almost another one later) Offense goes to sleep. If you expect your defense to carry you not just the first half, which they did, but the whole game, it doesn’t matter who you play, you will lose. Unless you’re the 77 Broncos, 85 Bears or 00 Ravens, you lose.

    Culter continues to throw into coverage. Either he’s not finding the open man or no one is getting open. Plenty of both, I think. If no one is getting open, then it’s either poor effort, poor execution (same thing, really) or poor play calling/game planning.

    Marshall gaves a pittifully sissy effort at catching a perfect pass out of fear of the safety coming over.
    Sheffler stands there and watches a defender intercept the ball an arm’s reach in front of him and does NOTHING – does not lift a finger to try to protect possession of the ball. Sheffler then has not enough presense of mind or effort to get both feet in before touching out of bounds – what’s with putting the hand down??! You NEVER put a hand down on that catch. Afraid of the fall instead of securing the catch – how weak is that?

    I’ve seem skinny stoner kids playing ultimate frisbee that have more determination to sell out and make a catch than Sheffler and Marshall did Sunday, to hell with the resulting fall or collision.

    Field goals, schmield goals. Punt returns, schmunt returns. So that’s 13 points – how about the rest?

  • kerry

    well lets see, first id replace Shanascam with a coach who can actually bring fire to the team. Bill Cowher would be one. he is a coach who can build the team from both sides of the ball. Mike Nolan woud be a good hire as the D-coordinator based on the fact he can build the 3-4 defense. (yes the same 3-4 defense that most of you have been screaming for since 05) but being that Shanahan is the “coach for life” of the Broncos, the only REAL solution i see happening is to fire Shanahan the GM and just have Shanahan the head coach. you know, like how it was when we actually won the SB. at the very least Shanahan needs to give up ALL front office duties and focus on coaching. but seriously Bill Cowher would bring fire and an identity to this team. Cowhers record since he took over in pittsburgh sice the year he retired has been one of the very best. with 2 SB appearances while winning one of them. Cowher coudl do the job and build a team from BOTH, not just one, sides of the ball. Shanascam can only draft offense. as most of us non-lemmings know. so now everybody dazzle me with your Shanny-lemming rhetoric about how Cowher would be such a bad choice.

  • MIAbronco

    you know the only problem with everyone suggesting bill cowher is that i dont think pat bowlen is a regualr visitor to this site

  • Roy

    Not only is Bowlen probably not a visitor, but I doubt he woudl go for “The Chin.” Shannahan is a good coach. When he is only the coach. (Unlike “I-need-a-hug” kerry, I don’t hate him. Maybe Shanny rejected him at some level and he is bitter.) Bates was supposed to be part of the solution, but who is still calling the plays? Shanny. Who does not take his Scouts advice about d-players? Shanny. The point is, he is a great HC, but he needs some checks and balances put into place.
    And Kerry? Why don’t you go “dazzle” Florio over at PFT with your anti-shanny views? I am sure both you will have a good time starting an anti-shanny orgy together. Little tip, if you want people to validate you ideas you probably should not present youself as such a condecending prick.

  • Linmoo

    The loss to the Raiders really came down to three plays: 1) the return TD, 2) the Cutler pick deep in Denver territory, and 3) the Hillis fumble inside the 5. That’s a 21 point swing. Otherwise, we were marching up and down the field before we started calling consecutive Fly routes and draw plays. That killed the O-production…and killed the game.

    I thing about this team this year is that the wins completely depend on the offensive production during the game. If the Broncos don’t put up 24+ points, they lose. That’s a lot of pressure to put on the offense. And since the offense is really just a passing offense right now, that’s a whole lot of pressure to put on young Cutler, Marshall, Royal, and Scheffler. They have to keep their cool when the stuff hits the fan. It’s really no mystery why our team is so completely inconsistent. Without a defensive backbone, we’re really stuck depending on (passing) offensive production.

    That said, I’m still pretty impressed with the run defense the last two games. People are at least committing to stopping the run (although “wrapping up” is a very loosely held standard in Denver).

  • Bucky

    Im getting sick of even coming to this site, I used to love it, but that was before kerry showed up, It used to be a site were people would come and show both love and hate for the Broncos, people would through down the smack on shanny, or marshal or whoever and then we would debate it, but now I come one here and this A$% H#&e just bashes the people on this site, all of carp about drinking cool aid and whatever, dude i know you grew up and couldn’t be the bully at the school yard any more, but that don’t mean you gotta bring your garbage here, if you wanna logically slam the Broncos that’s fine, but enough of slamming the other fans, we all have our opinion and they are just as valid as yours, I have read your posts and trust me, you are not the NFL’s greatest mind, and neither am I or anyone else on this site, we all just come here to talk Broncos and have fun. If you can do that then by all means lets keep the convo rolin. but if you cant, then may i suggest the Denver Post or the Rocky Mountain News. cause the kind of hate that’s been flowin with you is really common play over there. I’m not telling you to piss off, but seriously if you cant come on here like a normal person and talk without slamin every person who tries to talk to you on this blog, then, well… piss off

  • Dakota fan

    AMEN AND I SECOND THE MOTION, BUCKY!!!

  • jchase8410

    Finally…we can all agree on something (including you Mr. Kerry) Shanahan has got to relinquish some of his power. Will that happen? I am going to say there is a 5% chance he will give up his GM duties. He is a terrific coach, but he is not the know-all-end-all of NFL football. I am still proud of this team and what they have accomplished with everything that has gone against them.

  • Socal Den Fan

    This game still hurts! I agree linmoo this would of been a totally different game if Hillis didn’t fumble. But the fact is he did and we lost but it not as bad as it could of been if san diego would of won. Bucky I would have to totally agree with you and would be the first one to say I am at fault at barking back at kerry.Kerry we all have our opinions and havethe right to voice them,but to each their own.All I care about is the broncos winning games and would agree that Shanny needs to scale down his duties. I sure miss gary kubiak calling plays as soon as he left it hasn’t been the same.I don’t think we are too far away from having a really good team we need a good defense mind and give them some time to get the players they need in their system.Lets get back to some good debates about the broncos and stop this foolishness.

  • meomy

    Socal Den Fan, I agree with you on the Gary Kubiak not being there. The moment I heard he had a head coaching job I was happy for him but disappointed for the broncos. With any luck the Texans will keep loosing and he will get fired so the Broncos can pick him back up.

  • Dakota fan

    Hey brothers and sisters- no one will probably scroll down this far, but I just saw that the Redskins are releasing Shaun Alexander to clear up roster space. Anyone out there think he’s worth signing for the rest of the year? Is he too beat up or is his price too high? Maybe this is wishful thinking, but he was pretty talented not too long ago.

  • T-Money

    I don’t think we would go after him. I think we are set with what we have in hillis pope and bell.

  • kerry

    Shanahan wont give up his duties in the front office although it would be in the best interest for the team. Shanahan is becoming exactly like Dan Reeves was. he has to have all the control and power and Bowlen wont stop him. its ridiculous. a new GM/VP is needed and Shanahan needs to be sent straight out of the front office. otherwise this team will continue its long stretch of mediocrity. we are really lucky the Chargers suck so bad. a playoff appearance by default. yeah Shanahan really earned that one.

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