The Denver Broncos lost on Sunday, but what wasn’t lost was an opportunity to grow for Brock Osweiler.

Osweiler lost his first game as the Broncos starting quarterback as the Denver’s offense collapsed in the second half to give up a 12-point lead and lose 15-12 to the Oakland Raiders.

The youthful quarterback missed a few throws – specifically two in the red zone on third down and goal – and wasn’t perfect by a long shot. But, he wasn’t terrible, either. What was putrid was the offensive line’s play. They were out-worked by Khalil Mack all day – specifically Michael Schofield and Ryan Harris – as Mack ran up five sacks in the contest. One of those sacks was a safety and helped the Raiders win because it was the turning point in the game.

Also at fault for the offense’s offensive play was Demaryius Thomas and Vernon Davis for costly, timely drops. Thomas dropped two with the Broncos in the red zone and threatening to score; one near the goal line and then another in the end zone. Davis’ came on a seam route on a crucial 4th and 5 as the tight end was wide open but looked up field before reeling the pigskin in.

But, the pressure, nor the drops, are getting to Osweiler as he continues to stay composed as Denver’s starting quarterback.

“I’m not discouraged by the drops at all,” Osweiler said postgame. “You can never point the finger at anybody. I’m sure every body on this team – offense, defense, special teams – would look at themselves on tape and say, ‘You know what, I could’ve made that play and the could’ve been the difference.’ So, no reason to point any fingers.”

And, while Thomas led the game with 10 receptions for 95 yards, he did have a number of drops as well.

“I told him, ‘Next play,’” Osweiler said of how he consoled Thomas after a key drop. “Play the next play. That one’s over. I’m going to come right back to you and you’re going to make a big play down the stretch. I said, ‘Focus on the next play because that’s all that matters.’”

It’s incredible leadership from a quarterback in only his fourth start after sitting on the bench for nearly four years. Thomas is a bit of a head case; he drops a ton of seemingly easy catches and comes out of games all the time due to a fear of injuries. But, when he’s in the game, DT is one of the best receivers in the NFL. His size, speed and athleticism are basically second-to-none; Thomas uses his body to rack up yards after the catch.

And, Osweiler didn’t just avoid pointing fingers at teammates for dropping passes, he handled the media well, as per usual.

“Everybody fought hard. Unfortunately, Oakland played very well today,” Osweiler continued. “Coach Del Rio had a great game plan and we just came up short.”

The Broncos did, indeed, come up short. After finishing four drives with field goals and no touchdowns in the first half, Denver’s second half possessions ended like this: Punt, fumble, punt, safety, muffed punt, missed field goal, punt, turnover on downs, turnover on downs.

Whether it’s Osweiler once again behind center next week or we see the return of Peyton Manning, the Broncos must finish drives more efficiently – with touchdowns – if they want to do real damage in the postseason.

Here’s the audio clip of Osweiler postgame.