Broncos waive Gordon after another fumble leads to a loss
Running back Melvin Gordon's fumble issues finally cost him his job with the Denver Broncos, who waived him Monday after his latest fumble cost them points in a loss to the Raiders.
By News Channel NebraskaDENVER (AP) — Melvin Gordon's butterfingers finally cost him not just his starting job in Denver but his roster spot altogether.
The Broncos waived their veteran running back Monday, a day after his fumble at the goal line proved costly in their 22-16 overtime loss to the Los Vegas Raiders that sent them tumbling into the AFC West basement at 3-7.
Gordon, who has a penchant for fumbling in crucial situations in his career, burst up the middle on third-and-1 from the Raiders 3 in the waning seconds of the first half. He had the first down, but was still trying to get into the end zone when Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby punched the ball from his arms.
Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz recovered the loose ball at the 7, and Brandon McManus trotted out for a 25-yard field goal on fourth-and-5 that Crosby blocked as the first half expired.
That squandered the Broncos' long drive that started at their 16 and they followed that letdown with their seventh scoreless third quarter of the season on their way to their sixth one-score loss.
Gordon had two touchdown runs this season to go with five fumbles, two of which he lost. That gave him 26 career fumbles, 18 of them recovered by opponents. Nobody in the NFL has more fumbles or lost fumbles than Gordon over the past decade.
He fumbled a dozen times in his two-plus seasons with the Broncos, losing nine of them. Three of his last seven fumbles were returned for touchdowns and two more came within a step of the goal line.
Gordon's fumble at Las Vegas in Week 4, which cornerback Amik Robertson returned for a 68-yard touchdown, changed the tenor of the game and jump-started the Raiders' 32-23 win on a day the Broncos lost rising star running back Javonte Williams to a season-ending knee injury.
Gordon's job status seemed in jeopardy then because TV cameras showed him crestfallen on the sideline and not interacting with his teammates the rest of that October afternoon. A day later, he “liked" a bunch of tweets suggesting the Broncos cut him loose.
Instead, coach Nathaniel Hackett met with Gordon to reassure him he was his starter.
This time, he met with him and wished him well.
“He's a true pro. He's done a lot of good stuff here with the Denver Broncos and scored some touchdowns for us this year, and we thought it was best for the team and we've moved on and I wished him the best of luck,” Hackett said Monday. “I think it's great for him to have a fresh start.”
Hackett said he would go forward with a rotation of Latavius Murray, Marlon Mack and practice squad running back Devine Ozigbo. Mike Boone is also working his way back from a high ankle sprain.
Broncos aren't making necessary halftime adjustments
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos aren't finding any answers in the locker room at halftime.
After wasting an 84-yard drive heading into the break Sunday when Maxx Crosby blocked a field-goal attempt one play after punching the ball from Melvin Gordon's arms at the goal line, the Broncos went scoreless in the third quarter for the seventh time this season.
They've only managed one touchdown, one field goal and a safety in the third quarter all season.
Their latest third-quarter goose egg led to a comeback by the Las Vegas Raiders who won it 22-16 in overtime, sweeping the Broncos (3-7) for the third straight year.
The Broncos' 14.7-point scoring average is the lowest in the league, squandering a defense that's allowing an average of just 15.9 points in regulation.
With just a 19-point scoring average, the Broncos would be 9-1 atop the NFL. Instead, they're barreling toward a sixth straight losing season and seventh consecutive year out of the playoffs.
And this time there's no high draft pick awaiting them as consolation.
They traded that to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade that isn't working out — Wilson has just seven touchdowns and appears to be pressing more every week.
“We have to find ways to score more points,” rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett lamented after turning over offensive play-calling duties to Klint Kubiak, his QBs coach and passing game coordinator.
Hackett hired Jerry Rosburg out of retirement in September to help him fix game management mistakes and operational miscues, and this latest move paid off immediately when Wilson drove Denver to a touchdown on its opening drive for the first time all season, a 92-yard beauty that culminated with Latavius Murray's 1-yard TD run.
They added a field goal for a 10-0 lead and were going in for the score to make it 17-7 at the half when Crosby forced the fumble by Gordon and then blocked the field goal.
“We had a chance there at the end of that first half to get some more points, and we came away with nothing,” Hackett said. “It’s unacceptable. We can’t do that. We have to score a touchdown, at least get a field goal. We didn’t come away with either, so that’s frustrating.”
Crosby sacked Wilson on third-and-9 on Denver's first drive after halftime and added another later in the third quarter.
The Broncos managed two field goals after halftime to go with four punts and a regulation-ending 16-second possession that went nowhere.
They never even got the ball in overtime after Davante Adams sped past cornerback Pat Surtain II for a 35-yard touchdown catch that ended it.
“He's not there yet!” Adams hollered in reference to Surtain, who was being mentioned as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate before allowing two long TDs by Adams on Sunday. “He's not there yet!”
Neither are the Broncos.
WHAT’S WORKING
Hackett is sticking with Kubiak as his play-caller, saying he liked the communication and operation between Kubiak with his view from the box and offensive coordinator Justin Outten on the sideline.
WHAT NEEDS WORK
The makeshift offensive line. Wilson made a bad decision by throwing an incompletion on third-and-10 late in the fourth quarter, leaving Derek Carr more than enough time to tie it up in regulation. Wilson was flushed from the pocket despite the running back and tight end staying in to help block while three wide receivers ran routes.
STOCK UP
Murray, a reliable veteran running back who's going to get a featured role in the Broncos backfield with Melvin Gordon being waived on Monday following his latest game-turning fumble.
STOCK DOWN
Special teams. K Brandon McManus kept kicking off short, something he rarely does at Mile High, and it proved costliest when Ameer Abdullah returned the overtime kickoff 28 yards to the Las Vegas 33. KR Montrell Washington fumbled the second-half kickoff and the Broncos started at their 13. P Corliss Waitman has been sketchy for a month.
INJURIES
Hackett said RB Chase Edmonds (high ankle) and DL Jonathan Harris (knee) are both going to miss several weeks.
KEY NUMBERS
3 — Number of 10-0 leads the Broncos have blown this season.
WHAT’S NEXT
A trip to face the Carolina Panthers (3-8) in a matchup of last-place teams.