November has not been kind to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. A road loss to the Patriots two weeks ago isn't a huge surprise. Being upset by a final score of 22-7 at the hands of the St. Louis Rams is a much harder thing to understand, even in the Any Given Sunday world of the NFL.
Broncos vs. Rams final score: 3 things we learned in St. Louis’ 22-7 upset
The Rams manhandled the Broncos for four quarters, and it was enough to pull off the unthinkable, a 22-7 upset of the defending AFC champs.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Rams had the Broncos on their heels early. Shaun Hill, who replaced Austin Davis under center this week, found Kenny Britt for a 63-yard touchdown with less than two minutes to go in the first quarter. That gave the Rams a 10-0 lead, and they'd add three more before Denver finally got on the board when Manning found Emmanuel Sanders for a 42-yard score toward the end of the first half.
Sanders left with a concussion early in the third quarter, after a big hit from Rams safety Rodney McLeod. He got a flag for the hit, but it passed the smell test -- McLeod led with his shoulder -- for everyone but the ref. That was just one of the big injuries that hamstrung the Broncos. Julius Thomas left in the first half, and so did Montee Ball.
Jeff Fisher left the door open for the Broncos in the second half with his usual collection of plays designed for the sole purpose of not losing a game. He didn’t have to worry about it given the way the Rams defense was playing. Manning threw a pair of picks, including a critical one trailing 19-7 with five and a half minutes left in the game.
The Broncos haven’t been held to single digits on the scoreboard since signing Manning in 2012.
Tough day for the Mannings
1) Peyton Manning was off, way off. Jeff Fisher hasn't had much success against Peyton Manning, someone he knows well from their days together in the AFC South. But the coach had Manning's number in this one. The Rams defense pressured and pestered Manning the whole time. Manning made it worse with some really iffy throws to his depleted receiver corps. Injuries to his receivers didn't do much to help matters, but you still have to wonder about the little things, like a tendency to seek out tight end Jacob Tamme deep down the field on third downs.
St. Louis took away the running attack, making things that much more difficult for Denver.
2) The Broncos got beat up. Denver lost Emmanuel Sanders, Julius Thomas and Montee Ball before the half. That left them without three of their top weapons. Sanders was on his way to a big game with five catches, 102 yards and a touchdown before exiting with a concussion. The once reliable Wes Welker was anything but, and the rest of the supporting cast couldn't step up to fill the void. Denver's offensive line lost the battle in the trenches most of the day, making things that much harder.
3) Who are the Rams? This team's identity changes from week to week, hell, it changes from quarter to quarter most weeks. This team looked more like the one everyone expected, a team with a strong defense and a conservative, ball control offense. Shaun Hill and Kenny Britt made a connection in the passing game for a crucial first-quarter touchdown. Britt finished the day with four catches for 128 yards. St. Louis then leaned heavily on rookie Tre Mason to carry the ball and grind it out against the Broncos defense. Mason had 29 carries for 113 yards. At 4-6, the Rams aren't out of a wild card hunt, but this is the kind of game that makes you wonder where this team has been hiding all season.
★★★
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