Five takeaways from the Broncos' 17-10 loss to the Titans

The Broncos lost 17-10 to the Titans in Nashville on Sunday. Denver scored the first 10 points of the game but wasn’t able to score in the second half. Russell Wilson led a drive at the end of the game that could have tied it up, but heavy pressure just outside the end zone ended the game.

The Broncos are now 3-6, and their postseason hopes are virtually squashed. They’ve lost five of their last six games. Next up is a contest against the Raiders in Denver on Sunday.

Here’s what we saw…

The same thing happens

Everything about Sunday’s loss felt familiar.

The Broncos only converted four of their 17 third-down attempts and punted nine time.

They gave up six sacks and 18 quarterback hits.

None of the handful of running backs who rotated through were able to get anything going on the ground.

The defense did just about everything you could ask from it. The offense didn’t do nearly enough, but still had a chance to pull out a win in the final minutes, but didn’t. For the first time all season, the Broncos were never within three points in the fourth quarter; they trailed 14-10 when the quarter began.

The Broncos didn’t maximize their opportunities and faltered in the final minutes… again.

Denver’s defense stops Derrick Henry

The Broncos faced a tough task trying to slow down Derrick Henry. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound bruiser is on pace to win his third NFL rushing title.

Against the Broncos, Henry was an afterthought.

Denver loaded the box and hit Henry in the hole on just about every touch. By halftime, Henry had only gained 16 yards on eight carries. He picked up a little more steam in the second half, but he finished with 19 carries for 53 yards. Before the game, he was averaging more than 100 yards per game and five yards per carry.

The gameplan against the Titans is simple: stop Henry and you’ll win the game. Somehow, the Broncos did the tough part but couldn’t close the deal.

The Titans score before the half

Look at the stats, and the game looks remarkably close. The Broncos earned six more yards than the Titans. The splits between the running and passing games were similar. Even the penalty rates were about the same. They both had touchdowns of more than 60 yards through the air.

Almost everything canceled out.

The difference between the two teams was a drive from the Titans before the half. They scrambled 75 yards down the field in a little over two minutes and picked up a touchdown.

The Broncos’ opportunity to match came at the end of the game. They came as close the 21-yard line but couldn’t cap the drive off. If they had, they would have forced overtime.

The receivers step up

Despite only scoring 10 points, the Broncos’ receivers put up one of their best performances of the season.

Courtland Sutton picked up 66 yards on six catches, including two incredible grabs. Kendall Hinton started the game hot and finished with 62 yards on his four catches. Undrafted rookie Jalen Virgil earned some time and caught a 66-yard touchdown. 194 yards from the top three wide receivers is a solid number. It’s spectacular when you consider the Broncos were without three of their four best receivers.

Russell Wilson posted the second-highest passing yards total of his Broncos career with 286, but he only completed half of his 42 pass attempts.

The injuries continue to add up

Jerry Jeudy left the game in the first quarter with what the team called an ankle injury. He didn’t return and his status for next week’s game against the Raiders is unknown.

The Broncos also lost two offensive linemen to injuries: center Graham Glasgow and right tackle Billy Turner. Like Jeudy, neither player returned to the game.