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Last week, Broncos Country debated on Twitter whether Denver was getting better or if the Los Angeles Chargers gagged away the squads' November 1 matchup, which ended with the Mile High crew on top, 31-30. A similar conversation is happening now, but with an unhappy twist: Fans are trying to figure out who to blame after another Broncos comeback effort fell short against an even more notorious set of choke artists, the Atlanta Falcons.
After the 34-27 loss on November 8, there was no shortage of candidates — among them quarterback Drew Lock, head coach Vic Fangio, team executive John Elway and a less prominent whipping boy, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
Some online jokesters also pointed fingers at COVID-19, and that's understandable. As of November 4, the Broncos became an official novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, with at least seven positive cases — and that may not include Elway and fellow exec Joe Ellis, whose diagnoses were announced last week. As a result, a slew of coaches and players (notably defensive stalwart Shelby Harris) didn't participate against the Falcons.
Of course, nearly every NFL franchise is reeling from COVID-19 right now, and because the NFL has seemingly decided that it's not going to postpone or cancel games for anything less than a plague of biblical proportions, they're having to take part in the equivalent of pandemic scramble drills, too. So this excuse is a non-starter, particularly given that the Broncos have made a habit of sleepwalking through the first half of games, as happened again on Sunday.
Indeed, Atlanta was on top 27-6 until the early moments of the fourth quarter, when receiver Jerry Jeudy, who seems to be rounding into form, snagged a touchdown pass from Lock. And while the Broncos found the end zone twice more before the final whistle, they gave up another score to the Falcons and didn't leave themselves enough time to notch the equalizer.
Afterward, Shurmur was put on blast for Denver's offensive ineptitude during the first three quarters, as were Lock, Fangio, Elway and pretty much anyone else who works regularly on that side of the ball. And the fact that Twitter users couldn't settle on a single villain suggests that the problem is even more complex than anyone cares to acknowledge.
Here are our picks for the most memorable post-game tweets.
Number 20:
Too little, too late.
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 8, 2020
Recapping #DENvsATL ?? pic.twitter.com/Uir9lkLdiV
Number 19:
2 things I have to say to Broncos fans
— Lava (@InvictusLava) November 9, 2020
1. The reason we do so much better in the second half is because the play calling is more loose and lock does what he wants
2. If your mad at the team and say we suck ok leave now but don't be coming back next yer when everyone is healthy
Number 18:
Well @Broncos still suck. Nice to know some things haven't changed. #DenverBroncos #StillAFan #2020Sports #WeirdYear
— Amber R. (@Daymare47) November 9, 2020
Number 17:
You know how I can tell Broncos fans suck, because Lock will have the same game two weeks in a row, maybe even a better one this week, and Broncos fans will shit on him the one they lose, but not the one they win. Especially considering the glaring flaws around him.
— Colin Wilson (@ebleau_26) November 9, 2020
Number 16:
God himself cursed our team with injuries and other things. So I'm not mad at our team losing I hate that half our team is either on covid reserve or IR ... This season sucks .
— Jordanthelam19 (@jordanthelam19) November 9, 2020
Number 15:
PART 1
— James (@JamesWise1121) November 9, 2020
Things the Broncos need to do:
1. Fire Tom McMahon
2. Fire Pat Shurmur
3. Fresh start from the top, might be time for Elway to go
4. Fix the Ownership dispute. Love Pat Bowlen but his daughters are not the move
Number 14:
If people don’t blame Vic y’all clueless
— (@Broncos__21) November 8, 2020
Number 13:
too late for all this shit smfh @Broncos
— tim (@_timmmmy) November 8, 2020
Number 12:
Lock sucks...sorry
— Joseph Hogen (@JosephHogen) November 8, 2020
Number 11:
When the Broncos needed urgency and plays, it was too late. When they needed to go fast, they were down too much. When defense needed to step up, it was already down a lot. This team is just not able to find any type of consistent play whatsoever. Time to wonder again...
— Logan Hesselius (@LoganHesselius) November 8, 2020
Number 10:
Too little too late @Broncos time for a new offensive plan pic.twitter.com/MBG0Wh11ru
— John David Jarrett (@jdjarrett1970) November 8, 2020
Number 9:
Do the broncos just enjoy getting coaches that just suck insanely bad? Like there has to be good coaches out there but we just go no where near them
— Cole (@CCaused) November 8, 2020
Number 8:
I do not want to hear about no damn practice and the real game is two different things. At the end of the day everybody have to step up and start playing good ball. @DrewLock23 no more dancing until you and Pat get this offense rolling. I can not blame John
— KEVJR (@Jr10Kev) November 9, 2020
Number 7:
I do not blame Lock for this. I think defensive injuries mixed with some poor team play overall is what led to this loss. Broncos have to learn to start games with some more intensity and I put that on the coaching staff.
— Ben Thedford (@IRL_Squidward) November 8, 2020
Number 6:
Fuckn @Broncos suck. And it sux
— Big Chris (@AlejandreCa) November 9, 2020
Number 5:
Broncos should just blame there poor play on Trump
— Outfield1988 (@outfield1988) November 8, 2020
Number 4:
If you blame lock do not call yourself a broncos fan.
— MilehighMac official Youtube (@MilehighMac0) November 8, 2020
Number 3:
I 100% blame Broncos season on injuries and poor coaching. You have a young team and this coaching staff isn’t helping them at all.
— Mike Curmi (@MikeCurmi) November 8, 2020
Number 2:
Regarding the Broncos: This is a coaching/Elway problem. Elway has proven over and over again that he’s unfit for the position he holds within the organization. He displays a complete lack of ability to evaluate or develop talent, and that includes choosing good coaches.
— Mark Thomas (@themarkthomas) November 8, 2020
Number 1:
Life just isn’t as much fun when the Broncos suck
— D-Line Co. (@DLineCo) November 8, 2020
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