The Broncos entered Sunday’s game at Minnesota with one of the NFL’s best pass defenses, allowing only 202.1 yards per game (fourth-best) and seven touchdown passes (tied for second-fewest).
But things fell apart in the second half, when the Vikings turned a 20-0 deficit into a 27-23 win. After halftime, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was 18-of-23 passing for 261 yards, three touchdowns and a 153.5 rating.
The major second-half curveball was the Vikings running an up-tempo offense.
“You hesitate to do it because you also know they have Von Miller and a really good pass rush and you don’t want to get into a drop-back game,” Cousins said. “It worked (Sunday).”
And nothing worked for the Broncos in the second half.
Here are my ratings of the Broncos (scale of 1-5) from the Vikings game:
Quarterbacks (2 1/2): Brandon Allen was 17 of 39 for 240 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Vikings rushed five or more players on eight of Allen’s 42 drop-backs (19%). He was 2-of-8 passing for 19 yards against extra rushers. His red-zone pass that was intercepted late in the first half was crucial. Up 20-0, Allen appeared to throw off his back foot and the inaccurate pass was picked off. He kept the Broncos’ hopes alive with an effective 11-yard scramble on fourth down in the final minute. Encouraging was his deep-pass accuracy (four completions of at least 29 yards).
Running backs (3): For the second time this year, the Broncos had at least 30 rushes in a loss (33-124). Phillip Lindsay played 52 of 81 snaps compared to only 24 for Royce Freeman. Lindsay averaged 4.2 yards per carry (16-67). Fullback Andy Janovich scored a 1-yard touchdown but was lost with an elbow injury, necessitating a move from tight end to the backfield for Andrew Beck (25 snaps). Freeman allowed a quarterback pressure.
Receivers (4 1/2): Courtland Sutton (72 snaps) was elite. Five catches for 113 yards. Two carries for 10 yards. One pass for 38 yards. And two drawn penalties. Sutton had catches of 48 and 43 yards. As a rusher, he showed good vision on his nine-yard end-around, but five plays later, on fourth-and-1, he gained a yard, but could have scored had he went outside of tight end Noah Fant’s block instead of cutting back into an unblocked player. Tim Patrick (59) came off injured reserve to be the No. 2 receiver and he had a great 38-yard catch. DaeSean Hamilton wasn’t targeted in 42 snaps.
Tight ends (2): Fant (70 snaps) caught four passes for 60 yards. His 31-yard reception on the game’s third play included 10 yards post-catch. Fant was put in two tough pass protection spots. In the first half, he was one-on-one against defensive end Everson Griffen. Fant had to move laterally at the snap to get to Griffen, but had no chance and Griffen eventually sacked Allen in 4.71 seconds. And, on the final drive, he tried to block defensive end Danielle Hunter and allowed an Allen knockdown. Fant carried twice for a loss of five yards. Troy Fumagalli (29) scored his first NFL touchdown, a two-yard catch via a double move. Beck had one “bad” run block and downfield holding penalty apiece.
Offensive line (3 1/2): Left guard Dalton Risner (ankle) missed his first snap of the year. The line did well in pass protection, allowing but one sack and knockdown apiece. Risner allowed only his second solo sack of the season (3.30 seconds). Right tackle Elijah Wilkinson and left tackle Garett Bolles had two penalties apiece. The line allowed two “bad” run plays (Risner and center Connor McGovern). Wilkinson hasn’t allowed a sack in the three games since he was booked for 2 1/2 against Kansas City.
Defensive line (4): As safety Kareem Jackson said after the game, the front did their job. Four sacks. Five-and-a-half run “stuffs” (gain of one or fewer yards, not including the Vikings’ short-yardage conversions). And a measly 2.1 yards per carry by Minnesota (entered with a 4.7-yard average). Playing end and nose tackle, Shelby Harris had three sacks (2.59, 4.15 and 3.40 seconds) and one run “stuff” — all in 34 snaps (out of 63). Derek Wolfe (46 snaps) and Mike Purcell (25) had one and two run “stuffs,” respectively. Purcell sustained a rib injury on the first play when he collided with inside linebacker Alexander Johnson, but returned. Dre’Mont Jones got his first NFL sack (2.88).
Linebackers (3 1/2): Todd Davis made a team-high 13 tackles. He and Johnson played all 63 snaps. Outside, Miller (52) had a sack in 3.94 seconds and made a tackle in coverage on running back Dalvin Cook. A quiet game for Malik Reed, who had one tackle but did not have a quarterback disruptions in 41 snaps. Jeremiah Attaochu (11) drew a penalty and pressured Cousins on the same play. Overall, the Broncos rushed five or more on seven of Cousins’ 43 drop-backs (16.3%).
Defensive backs (1 1/2): Tough game for the back end in general and cornerback Davontae Harris in particular. Cousins had only six incompletions (29 of 35) and only one was a break-up by the secondary, by Harris, who was replaced for the last two possessions by Isaac Yiadom. Harris allowed seven completions for 87 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown and 44-yard completion. The Vikings smartly went right after him when matched against Stefon Diggs. Cornerback Duke Dawson (46 snaps) allowed three completions in three targets for 45 yards, including the game-winning 32-yard touchdown catch by Kyle Rudolph. His pass interference penalty helped the Vikings convert a third-and-10 on an eventual touchdown drive. Chris Harris (63 snaps) was expecting over-the-top help from Jackson on Diggs’ 54-yard touchdown, but Jackson was focused on the other side of the field.
Special teams (1): Bad punting and a missed field goal overshadowed the kick coverage takeaway (Will Parks forced fumble/Josey Jewell recovered fumble) and Diontae Spencer’s 42-yard kick return to start the final drive. Colby Wadman averaged a season-low 35 yards on three punts (long of 36) and Brandon McManus chunked a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that, if made, would have set the Broncos up for a winning field goal instead of needing a touchdown in the final minute.
