Winners and losers of the Denver Broncos' loss to the Baltimore Ravens

This was supposed to be a test to see if the Broncos are real or not. Well, if that's the case, then the Broncos have failed miserably. They had no answer to the offense of Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers and the Ravens while struggling in all areas of the game.

The most disappointing result of this game was the Broncos' defense. They should be an elite unit and have proven that at times this season. However, they were on fire the entire game, had no answers for Lamar Jackson and gave up over 40 points to the Ravens. The offense had its issues, but the defensive issues will be the main theme of this game.

With all that said, here are the losers from the Denver Broncos' 41-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

LOSER – The entire Broncos team

This game was hyped. The surging Broncos, who have won five of their last six games, hit the road to face one of the league's best AFC teams. Playoff hopes were high in Broncos Country and we were hopeful that we could handle the Ravens.

We were all very disappointed.

The Broncos were outrebounded in every area of ​​the game, underperformed, failed to perform at all on defense, and were completely overwhelmed by the Ravens' explosive offense.

The blame starts at the top with head coach Sean Payton. He had some questionable play calls early on and his team ended up being outplayed the entire game. It was a disappointing performance and all the excitement and hype surrounding the Broncos has now faded.

Vance Joseph, what the hell was that? The defense looked nothing like the unit we had seen all season. The pass rush was nonexistent and their secondary, which was a strength, was picked apart throughout the game. They couldn't stop the run, Pat Surtain II didn't cover the Ravens' top receiver, they had poor tackling, poor production and were rightfully down by 40+ points.

There's a lot of blame to go around for this game, but the entire team deserves the blame. This was a spotlight game on a national stage, with CBS' top announcer team covering it and going to bed.

LOSER – Lil’Jordan Humphrey

On the Broncos' first drive, he failed to field a ball he could catch and deflected it into the air for an interception. It wouldn't end in points, but it set the tone for the rest of the game.

Listen, I know the Broncos are lacking playmakers, but when Lil'Jordan Humphrey is getting so many snaps, targets and opportunities, that's not a good sign. He's a good depth receiver but shouldn't be a starter. He has struggled in consecutive games and has left the Broncos points on the field.

Overall, his problems are minor, but he hasn't played well.

LOSER – Devon Key

I know he's a backup safety, but man, he had a tough time. I haven't seen the coach's film, but he was lit the entire game. His attempt on Zay Flowers' touchdown before the end of the first half was unacceptable.

Again, being the reserve safety that he is, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense picked on him the entire game. The Broncos need PJ Locke back healthy sooner rather than later.

LOSER – Sean Payton's 4th down play call

The Broncos had several turnovers on downs in the first half of this game and left several points on the field. The first was a pitch to Javonte Williams at fourth and short. It was originally called a first down, but after a challenge he was ruled out before the 1st down. Throwing Javonte is not the right move. He is a power guy between the tackles.

The next one was in field goal range and I believe a 4th and 4. Instead of kicking the field goal, they decided to go for it and once again didn't convert. Instead of trying to get the first down with a safe play, Bo Nix launched a pass to a wide-open Troy Franklin, but he knocked his college teammate to the ground. To his credit, Franklin was open, but this is a low-rate play that ended up costing the Broncos.

Later in the game, he ran the Philly Special and Bo Nix caught a touchdown pass from wide receiver Courtland Sutton, but man, that's another risky play. It worked, but it took her getting cute the first two times, and it took an incredible amount of effort for Nix to make this one work. I'm glad it worked, but it can't be that sweet in situations like this.

Other losers

Broncos Offense – LOSERS: They looked good early in the game, but only scored 10 points in that game. They left a lot of points on the field. I thought Bo Nix played well, but he missed a few passes and struggled against the Ravens' pressure as the game progressed. Although he didn't play badly, he looked like a rookie.

Broncos Playoff Hopes – LOSERS: As things stand, they're probably still in it, but this game ended their postseason hopes. They looked like a bad team and lost in a tiebreaker to another AFC playoff contender. Add to that the fact that they weren't competitive in that game and were eliminated, making them a questionable postseason team for the future.

They're still in it, can still do it and have a good chance of still making it, but they can't have more games like this.