In a must win away game for the second week in a row, the Denver Broncos had everything on the line but this time could not pull through as they suffered a heart-wrenching loss at the very end. Mustering up a fourth quarter comeback, the Broncos fell short to the Tennesse Titans after an A.J. Derby fumble put a dagger in their hearts.

The game began in the worst possible way for the visiting team. After the defense allowed a physical 11-play drive from the Titans for a touchdown, the Broncos fumbled the rock on their very first converted first down.

In his first run since rejoining head coach Gary Kubiak, running back Justin Forsett showed off great burst getting 9 yards only to have the ball stripped out of his arms for a fumble giving Tennessee possession at the Denver 40. The Titans could only muster a 53-yard field goal, limiting damage to 10-0.

Tennessee dominated the first half, as the Broncos punted five times and turned it over once the home team found first down after first down running the ball down Denver’s throat. On a 19-play, eight-minute drive the Titans got all the way down to the Broncos three yard line. But again Denver held tough and Tennessee had to again settle for three points – up to that point the Broncos had only had 18 snaps on offense the entire first half.

While the Titans took over large part of the second quarter with that drive Denver’s defense also got involved in a large scuffle initiated from a dirty hit by receiver Harry Douglas to Chris Harris Jr.’s knee. On the next snap, Aqib Talib pushed Douglas to the ground and then went in for some extracurricular activity, getting the Tennessee sideline involved and resulting in a personal foul on No. 21. After all of that, Harris was able to come back onto the field and the defense held the home team to just 13 points despite being on the field seemingly the entire first half.

In the second half, it became Denver’s game, theirs to win or lose as the Titans seemed content to waste away more of the clock by running the ball – a strategy that worked in the third quarter but slowly had less of an effect as the Broncos ‘D’ tightened the screws and quit missing tackles.

Offensively it became Trevor Siemian and the passing attack’s game  as the Broncos seldom ran the ball. After having a few drives stalled on penalties, forcing the team into third-and-long situations, Denver broke through in the most unlikely of ways.

Thanks to a fake punt perfectly executed by Riley Dixon, who passed it 16 yards down the sideline, Denver was at the doorstep on 4th-and-goal from the Titans four. But the Broncos couldn’t convert leaving Tennessee up 13-0 with 14:54 left to go.

But Siemian and the passing attack wouldn’t let their opportunity fade  on the following drive that was aided by the Titans punting out of their own end zone and Kalif Raymond’s 21-yard return and subsequent unnecessary roughness penalty. With only 26 yards to go Denver Siemian capped off the drive with a touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders on a crossing route with nice touch on the throw. With 9:58 remaining Denver still had a chance down only 13-7.

On the very next drive, the Broncos got all the way down to the red zone with an outstanding play from Demaryius Thomas to stretch out to convert a 3rd-and-12. They had to settle for a field goal as they were backed up by a 1st and goal sack and Bennie Fowler was unable to hold onto a potential game-tying touchdown pass on second down.

Meaning that at 13-10 it became time for Denver’s defense to show their championship mettle and they did, finding the stop and giving the offense the ball back with 2:34 remaining.

Even despite being pinned back to their own two-yard line, Siemian and the offense managed to get the chains moving and as an A.J. Derby catch seemed to put them only 20 yards away from field goal range it all disappeared just like that when the ball was stripped and recovered by the Titans. Game over.

Now Denver is back on the outside looking in with as tough a stretch as they come lying ahead.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

It might seem like a homer pick but there wasn’t another single player that was more influential in this game than Trevor Siemian, who threw the ball 51 times on a bum foot for 334 yards. Siemian had three separate chances in the red zone and in retrospect had Denver not gone for that 4th and goal the game would have been tied.

The young QB also had a few drops and missed blocks that hurt him. All in all, he had a gritty performance that kept the Broncos in the game till the very end.

PLAY OF THE GAME

While the Derby fumble was probably the most important play of the game as it determined the outcome. The Riley Dixon fake punt was a momentum swing for the Broncos in taking over the fourth quarter and almost pulling off the win.

It’s also a dime of a pass from a rookie punter.

FAKE PUNT ALERT: Riley Dixon finds Cody Latimer on the fake to give the #Broncos a first down. pic.twitter.com/GWgjT7DIbS

— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) December 11, 2016

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“I didn’t see what happened but I can tell you this locker room we got each other’s back.” – Trevor Siemian on reacting after Harris hit.

BY THE NUMBERS

10-2 – The Broncos ‘D’ is used to outhitting opposing units but while Siemian was knocked to the ground ten times this game, Denver’s vaunted pass rush only hit Marcus Mariota twice.

180-18 – That’s not a typo. While Denver’s championship defense allowed 180 yards on the day, Kubiak’s running game only mustered 18. A staggering figure.

330-73 – Denver did dominate in the air while Tennessee only passed for 73 yards the Broncos had to sling it around desperately all day.

LASTING IMPACT

The Denver Broncos are in big trouble right now with this loss as the Miami Dolphins could take back their lead in the wild card race and the AFC West is now out of reach. In a final stretch in which it was imperative to win them all Denver’s now behind the eight ball.

Offensively the same issues keep on existing though Siemian had a positive performance as the offensive line struggled and the run game was a non-factor. The run defense is also a big issue that was shown again today.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Broncos do have a chance to still make the playoffs but it won’t be easy, as they now have to take on direct competition in the AFC race. They’ll face the New England Patriots at home, the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, and the Oakland Raiders at home. A ‘W’ against all three would be a big sign for the Broncos morale and a win against Oakland would help in the wild card race as well.