Broncos' HC Sends Strong Message to Fumbling RB Melvin Gordon

In the wake of the Denver Broncos 32-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Mile High City is reeling. Starting running back Javonte Williams tore his ACL and is done for the year, and the guy who's supposed to be the fail-safe can't hold onto the ball. 

Melvin Gordon fumbled for the fourth time on Sunday, which was scooped up by Amik Robertson and returned to the house for a Raiders touchdown. Those six points completely altered the complexion of the game. 

Post-game, Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett had a message for Gordon. 

“In the end, you can't put the ball on the ground. It's that simple," Hackett said from the podium. 

Gordon exited the podium on Sunday night in tears, quite overcome by the emotion of so badly letting his team down. As much as one's heart might go out to Gordon, this is the NFL. 

The truth is, Gordon is a pro, and he's expected to, at the very least, hold onto the ball, but he's failing that fundamental requisite miserably. 

"We always say take care of the ball, it's the most important thing," Hackett said. "It's not like he's trying to do it, we understand that. But we just have to be even better with our ball security across the board. The other guys did a good job, and Melvin had that one."

What becomes of the Broncos' floundering rushing attack in the wake of Williams' season-ending injury and Gordon's ball insecurity? Hackett addressed it Sunday. 

“We got to evaluate everything. We got to look at it," Hackett said. "Whether we got to block it better, secure the football and all those things, you got to run the football in this league. That's my opinion and that's our offensive philosophy. So, we got to find better ways to run the ball and be able to secure the ball at all times, but we'll get better at that."

The Broncos have a short-week turnaround with the Indianapolis Colts coming to town for a Thursday Night Football throwdown.