Teddy Bridgewater gave a poor tackling effort on a key play during the Denver Broncos’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and the quarterback is not making any excuses.
Melvin Gordon lost a fumble while trying to convert a 4th-and-1 run at the Denver 23 late in the third quarter. Darius Slay scooped up the fumble and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown to swing the game in Philly’s favor at 27-13. Bridgewater had a chance to bring Slay down, but he completely bailed on the tackle.
Bridgewater held himself accountable for the play while speaking with the media on Monday. He said Broncos coach Vic Fangio called him out over it in the film room and that he deserved the criticism.
“Coach pointed it out that my effort had to be better there. I totally agree,” Bridgewater said. “That’s not the type of tape that I want to put out there. It’s one of those situations where you get [angry] after you watch it because you know how much this game means to you."
Bridgewater said he thought in real time that he could maybe force Slay toward the sideline, but he admitted that the play looked awful when he watched it back.
“You watch it and walk away from it [mad] at yourself and the effort,” he said.
Bridgewater has dealt with some serious injuries during his career, so it’s possible he has been instructed to shy away from trying to make tackles. Fangio must not have told him that, otherwise he wouldn’t have called out the veteran in the film room.
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