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Jeff Legwold
DENVER — The Broncos became the first team in the league to reach eight wins this season with Thursday night’s 10-7 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High. And they did it — again — with their defense at its quarterback-harassing, lockdown best.
But after the win, Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins spoke for many of his teammates on offense who believe it’s time for the offense to stop making it hard for the team.
«Yeah, cool, we’re 8-2 … [but] the defense is winning us the games, and we’re not helping them. We’re not doing them any justice,» Dobbins said. «I feel bad the way we play on offense and the way they play on defense because they’re doing so great and we’re doing so bad. They’re our brothers, too, and it just sucks because they’re just out there so many plays, playing their butts off. We can’t keep doing this to them.»
Said Broncos quarterback Bo Nix: «At some point, we’ve got to start moving the ball and scoring some points. Between penalties and sluggish football, we’re just not playing very good. It starts with me. I’ve got to be better. … We’ve got to find some juice.»
Jacksonville Jaguars have more penalties on offense (53 in eight games).
«[The Raiders] did some things that were challenging [on defense] … but too many penalties on offense that put us in a hole, and I’ve got to be better also,» Broncos coach Sean Payton said.
Nix added: «We got to do better. At some point, 10 points isn’t going to be enough.»
Even the Broncos’ game-winning field goal came as a result of a blocked punt by safety JL Skinner that gave the offense the ball at the Raiders’ 12-yard line with 1 minute, 29 seconds left in the third quarter. The Broncos lost 2 yards on the next three plays combined, and Wil Lutz kicked a 32-yard field goal that was the difference in the game.
But Denver’s defensive players said their offensive counterparts still shouldn’t worry. Even as the Broncos remain on pace to challenge the league’s single-season sack record of 72 by the 1984 Chicago Bears, they say they’re ready for anything else thrown their way.
«Whatever we need to do, we do,» Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton said. «Just continuing to give [the offense] the ball, give them every opportunity.»
«We don’t look at what the offense does, what the special teams does. Our job is to go out there and get stops,» said Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, who had 1.5 sacks in the win. «So, we have that mentality, and we have the right guys who come in with that mentality.»
