Somber Broncos pick up the pieces

ENGLEWOOD • Josh McDaniels spoke with a little less energy than usual, and the Denver Broncos coach kept his head lowered for plenty of his Monday press conference.

This was a much more somber mood than his previous six day-after interviews, and for good reason. The Broncos lost 30-7 at Baltimore, falling to 6-1, and McDaniels was blunt about the reasons.

“They were coached better, played better, more physical, played faster basically in every area of the game,” McDaniels said. “We certainly didn’t do enough in any phase to win the game.”

There are issues to fix on offense, defense and special teams. The offense got 53 of its 200 yards on a meaningless drive at the end of the game, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completed 20-of-25 passes, and special teams allowed a kick return for a touchdown for the second straight game.

Then on Monday, McDaniels declared right tackle Ryan Harris out for Denver’s next game against Pittsburgh because of a toe injury. McDaniels’ early proclamation is a sign Harris could miss more than one game.
The Broncos hope to bounce back quickly against the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers, but Sunday’s loss was humbling.

“Sometimes when you look at the film and say ‘It didn’t really look as bad as it felt.’ That’s not the case,” cornerback Andre Goodman said. “What it felt like yesterday was exactly what it was. We were going into a dogfight, and it’s like we got beat up by the bully at the playground.”