3 takeaways from the Broncos' 42-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills

Saturday was not a good day.

The Broncos lost 42-15 to the Bills in Buffalo Saturday afternoon. The Bills scored touchdowns on their first six possessions. They completed all but three of their pass attempts. They ran for more than 200 yards on just under eight yards per attempt.

The Broncos were flat-out dominated.

The good news is that we expected them to be outmatched. The Bills played most of their starters, including star quarterback Josh Allen, and the Broncos left a couple dozen of their best options on the bench.

Still, it’s hard to come away from Saturday feeling better than you did before.

Here’s what you need to know…

The Bills bully the Broncos

From start to finish, the Broncos weren’t strong enough to play with the Bills.

On offense, Denver couldn’t block anybody. The problems in the running game that started in the Cowboys game continued into Week 2. The Broncos finished with 32 yards on the ground.

Defensively, the story was the same if not worse. Buffalo ran all over Denver, to the tune of 208 yards. Arguably the worst moment was the first series of the second half, when Buffalo subbed in Matt Barkley and a bunch of other depth pieces. The Bills put together a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Nine of he plays and 68 of the yards came on the ground.

The Broncos couldn’t fill gaps, couldn’t tackle and couldn’t rush the passer. They weren’t nearly physical enough to play with the Bills.

It’s only the preseason, so none of this really matters and you can’t make too many assumptions. That’s especially true when you’re talking about a team of backups playing a team of starters. But it would’ve been nice to see a few Broncos look like they belong. It’s hard not to wonder whether the Broncos have the depth they need in the trenches.

An early glimmer of hope

For a brief few minutes, everything seemed to be going well.

The Broncos got the ball first. They marched down the field. Josh Johnson hit Montrell Washington for a 20-yard gain. He hit Albert Okwuegbunam, Seth Williams and Mike Boone, too. Even the running game was serviceable with Boone picking up three carries for 13 yards.

It wasn’t perfect, but the Broncos found a way to pick up a field goal against the starting Buffalo defense on its first try.

That glimmer of hope died quickly, though. The Bills ran down the field for a quick touchdown. It took six plays to go 70 yards.

The fun didn’t last long but maybe there’s something positive to take away from the Broncos’ second-stringers finding points against the Bills’ starters.

The special teams are sharp

Nobody wants the highlight of the day to be special teams, but that’s what we saw on Saturday.

Montrell Washington had two great kick returns, including one when he bounced off a pair off tacklers and picked up another 15 yards.

Jalen Virgil got in on the action with a pair of 30-yard punt returns.

Mike Boone gained 27 on his lone try.

The only bad kick return came when Trey Quinn—who otherwise had a great day—muffed the catch and only managed 18 yards.

Plus, Brandon McManus put all three of his field goal attempts through the uprights, including a 55-yarder.

And Corliss Waitman averaged 52 yards per punt. He got both attempts because Sam Martin hurt his ankle in warmups.