"We got our butts kicked": Gary Kubiak reflects on frustrating loss for Broncos

The doesn’t-do-it-justice score of 30-20 may have been the best-looking column on the stat sheet as the Denver Broncos were dominated by the Oakland Raiders on Sunday Night Football.

A look at the time of possession column (41:28 to 18:32), the first downs (30 to 13), rushing yards (218 to 33), average starting field position (37 to 19) and you’ll see how one-sided this game really was for the Silver & Black.

After the tough loss, a loss that leaves the Broncos in third place in the AFC West, head coach Gary Kubiak put it simply.

“We got our butts kicked tonight, and we have to improve,” he told KOA. “We played well early in the game defensively and then gave up over 200 yards rushing, we got our butt kicked in the field positions battle all night, that’s special teams. It’s three phases, it’s not one or two, it’s three phases.”

As he continued to reflect on the game, it was all three phases that repeatedly came up. The Broncos simply could not get anything going. The defense, known for making the play that breaks the slump, failed to create their signature turnover. The offense, a rollercoaster at times this season, was hardly tall enough to board the ride.

It was one of those games where the game just looked so much harder for the men in Orange & Blue, while most of the Silver & Black work looked effortless. All of that added up to a beat down.

“They ran for 220 plus,” Kubiak said. “Field position-wise, I know we started inside our own 15-yard line numerous times and back on our own one or two at least twice. Hell, it’s across the board, give them credit, they played extremely well, and we have to play a lot better.”

While the Broncos don’t necessarily feel like a team that needed a wake-up call, sometimes getting punched in the mouth by a rival can throw some fuel on the competitive fire that burns within the team.

“You hope not, you know?” Kubiak said when asked if every team needs one of these games. “But we had one tonight. We battled, but when you look at the big picture we just didn’t play very well. They owned the time of possession in the football game, and they’re a good football team. We knew we would have to come in here and play well to have a chance to win and we didn’t do that. We’ll man up, regroup here and get ready to go to New Orleans.”

All of the sudden, that game in New Orleans—against a team feeling pretty good after two consecutive wins—carries some serious weight for the Broncos. In fact, every game from here on out will hold massive implications for Denver with two teams to look up at in the standings.