Maybe the Broncos should consider moving all of their games to London.
In the first seven weeks of the season, the Broncos’ offense mostly looked helpless, but that changed on Sunday in England. In a game against the Jaguars, Denver lit up the scoreboard with three touchdowns in a 21-17 win. Scoring three touchdowns isn’t usually considered to light up the scoreboard, but it does when you’re a Broncos team that entered this week’s game as the worst performing offense in the league. NFL.
So why did Denver finally manage to find success on offense? The main reason is that Russell Wilson finally started playing like the Russell Wilson the Broncos thought they were getting when they made a blockbuster trade for the QB in March.
Wilson’s ability to throw the ball with precision down the field is one of the reasons he has done so well in his career and he showed that ability against the Jaguars. One of Wilson’s best shots of the day came in the third quarter when he hit Greg Dulcich with a 38-yard pass that went 30 yards through the air.
That throw came on a 92-yard drive where Wilson went 5 of 5 for 88 yards. Wilson seemed to have a great connection with Dulcich, who caught three of the passes on the drive for 78 yards. That touchdown put the Broncos ahead 14-10, but it was a lead they would lose late in the fourth quarter after a one-yard run by Travis Etienne with just 3:54 remaining.
At that point, the Broncos returned to the field and they felt like their season was on the line, but Wilson didn’t seem too bothered by the pressure. On the first play of practice, Wilson arguably saved Denver’s season with a 47-yard pass to KJ Hamler.
Six plays later, Latavius Murray scored the game-winning touchdown from one yard.
Another reason the Broncos offense was so good is that it was unstoppable in the red zone. At the start of Week 8, Denver had the WORST red zone offense in the NFL, scoring a touchdown on just 23.5% of its red zone trips (to put that in perspective, every other NFL team was converting at least 35% of their red zone travels in touchdowns before week 8).
In this game, the Broncos pulled off a perfect 3-on-3 in the red zone and a big reason is that Nathaniel Hackett actually got creative. Denver’s first touchdown of the game came on a six-yard catch by Jerry Jeudy that seemed to catch the Jaguars off guard.
The Broncos offense was by no means perfect that day. In fact, it looked like it was going to be another nightmare game for Unity at first. Of the Broncos’ first four possessions, they kicked three times without getting a single first down and Wilson also threw an interception. Earlier in the season that would probably have been enough to trigger a complete meltdown, but this time around the attack was able to bounce back.
On those first four possessions, Wilson was just 2 of 6 for 19 yards and an interception, but after that he went 16 of 24 for 233 yards and a touchdown.
The Broncos have a playoff-caliber defense and if the offense continues to improve, this team could possibly sneak into the wild card race.
Alright, let’s get down to the ratings for every game in Week 8. If you’re looking to dig deeper into the Ravens’ win over the Buccaneers that unfolded on Thursday, be sure to click here.
Denver 21-17 against Jacksonville (London)
Broncos-Jaguars Ratings by John Breech (Like ratings? Hate ratings? Let it know on Twitter.)
Atlanta 37-34 vs. Carolina (OT)
Panthers-Falcons Notes by John Breech (Love notes? Hate notes? Let it know on Twitter.)
Miami 31-27 vs. Detroit
Dolphins-Lions Notes by John Breech (Love notes? Hate notes? Let it know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 34-26 against Arizona
Cardinal-Vikings Ranks by John Breech (Love notes? Hate notes? Let it know on Twitter.)
New Orleans 24-0 against Las Vegas
Raiders-Saints Notes by John Breech (Like notes? Hate notes? Let it know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 35-13 vs. Pittsburgh
Steelers-Eagles Ratings by Jeff Kerr (Like ratings? Hate ratings? Let it know on Twitter.)
New England 22-17 against the New York Jets
Patriots-Jets Ratings by Jordan Dajani (Like ratings? Hate ratings? Let it know on Twitter.)
Dallas 49-29 vs. Chicago
Bears-Cowboys Notes by Garrett Podell (Love Notes? Hate Notes? Let it know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 17-10 vs. Houston
Titans-Texans Notes by John Breech (Love Notes? Hate Notes? Let it know on Twitter.)
Washington 17-16 against Indianapolis
Commanders-Colts Ranks by John Breech (Love ranks? Hate ranks? Let it know on Twitter.)
San Francisco 31-14 vs. LA Rams
49ers-Rams Ratings by Bryan DeArdo (Like ratings? Hate ratings? Let it know on Twitter.)
Seattle 27-13 against the New York Giants
Giants-Seahawks Notes by Cody Benjamin (Love Notes? Hate Notes? Let it know on Twitter.)
Buffalo 27-17 over Green Bay
Packers-Bills Notes by John Breech (Love notes? Hate notes? Let it know on Twitter.)