Denver — You can delay the inevitable.
But eventually, it’ll happen. And on a day like this, after a week like that, it was only a matter of time before the Lions gave way, even if they refuse to give in.
The season’s not over yet. But it’s dwindling, just like Dan Campbell’s roster down the stretch here, with the natural attrition of a brutal NFL schedule accelerated by illness and still more injury Sunday, along with a few insults.
Yet long before Jared Goff’s final pass attempt of the afternoon was batted down into the turf Sunday afternoon — a fitting end to this 38-10 stampede for the Broncos — there was no denying the obvious: In the NFL, even when you’re down, you’ll still get kicked.
Or as Goff reminded everyone after Sunday’s loss dropped the Lions to 1-11-1 on the season, “No one feels bad for us. No one feels sorry for us, including ourselves.”
And certainly not an opponent like Denver, still in the thick of the AFC playoff race and fueled by emotion Sunday as the Broncos paid tribute to a former franchise star in Demaryius Thomas, who died unexpectedly Thursday.
“We had something bigger to play for today,” Broncos running back Javonte Williams said.
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That was evident from start to finish, as both teams honored Thomas’ memory with a ceremonial first play and the Broncos actually capped the runaway win with a 7-minute, 14-play drive that covered 88 yards — the same number that Thomas wore during his Broncos career and was emblazoned on the field and the team’s helmets Sunday.
“That’s crazy,” said Courtland Sutton, one of Thomas’ former teammates. “That’s crazy.”
But this was a crazy week for the visiting team as well.
They lost six players to the reserve-COVID-19 list this week, including some key starters in safety Tracy Walker, running back Jamaal Williams and center Evan Brown.
But they also were battling the Honolulu Flu (not an actual medical term, but we’re going with it) in Allen Park, as some kind of bug made its way through the locker room.
They tried a split-squad practice schedule Wednesday, with the offense working in the morning and the defense in the afternoon to minimize spread of illness. Then the Lions held out 21 players from practice Thursday, excusing most of the offensive and defensive linemen and essentially running 7-on-7 drills to prep for this game.
A dozen players sat out Friday’s practice, and even after that, the team still got more bad news when Williams found out afterward he’d tested positive for COVID earlier in the day. So did rookie cornerbacks Ifeatu Melifonwu and Marc Gilbert, leaving the Lions with only two healthy regulars at the position.
As the Lions’ luck would have it, they promptly lost one of those on the opening drive of Sunday’s game, when Jerry Jacobs’ left knee folded in awkwardly on a gang tackle. It appeared to be a serious ligament injury, and it likely ends what had been one of the more promising individual seasons on the Lions’ roster, as the undrafted free agent had emerged as a legitimate NFL starter this fall.
But that’s been the story of this season, in many ways, with every positive step seemingly followed by a brutal setback. And Sunday’s game was no different in that respect.
Shortly after kickoff, the Lions were officially eliminated from the playoffs for a fifth straight season. And by the end of the first quarter, it appeared they’d been eliminated from contention in this game, too.
The Broncos sandwiched two lengthy scoring drives around a quick three-and-out from the Lions, and after just 15 minutes, the stat sheet was already mocking the guests. Denver piled up 11 first downs and 135 yards in the quarter, while the Lions ran a total of five plays for minus-1 yard. And staring at a 14-0 deficit, it felt like one of those games that might need a running clock before it was over.
But for the second straight week, the Lions’ offense found a groove in the second quarter, Goff scrambled for a first down on third-and-8. Craig Reynolds, the Lions’ fifth-string running back and one of seven practice-squad players elevated to the active roster this weekend, broke off a 35-yard run — the longest allowed by the Broncos’ defense all season. And then Goff, who was missing his top two receiving targets with T.J. Hockenson (hand) also out with Swift, hit Kalif Raymond on a nifty reverse screen for an 11-yard touchdown.
The defense forced another punt and the Lions drove deep in Denver territory on their next possession as well. But they stalled out just inside the red zone, and after Goff’s third-down pass was batted down — it happened a lot Sunday — Campbell settled for a field goal.
Still, the Lions had given themselves a chance coming out of the break, down only one score on the road and receiving the second-half kickoff.
But Godwin Igwebuike fumbled on the second play from scrimmage, and everything unraveled from there as the Lions finished with another scoreless half — something they’ve done with alarming regularity this season.
All four of the Lions’ second-half possessions ended in turnovers or failed fourth-down attempts, before that last one ended with Goff’s third-down incompletion as time expired.
“We just made too many mistakes,” Campbell said. “So it’s hard for me to say, ‘Well, everything was stacked against us.’ I just … I can’t think that way. So, look, it wasn’t ideal (this week) but … however we look at it just wasn’t good enough.”
And the chances of it getting much better over the final month of this season aren’t very promising, given what’s left to play with in terms of a healthy roster and what’s left to play for, with Lions fans understandably focused only on the team’s draft position at this point. (They’re still a half-game up on Jacksonville and Houston for the No. 1 overall pick.)
But if you ask Goff what would qualify as a successful finish for the Lions, with four games left to play and two of them against the top two teams in the NFC, including Arizona at Ford Field next Sunday, he won’t even wait for you to finish the question.
“Four straight wins,” he deadpanned.
No need to check his temperature. He meant it. And here’s why.
“At the end of the day, we’re playing for pride and who we are,” explained Goff, who endured something like this as a rookie for the Rams in 2016. “I think your character shows up in these last four games. But it does test you.”
john.niyo@detroitnews.com
Twitter.com: @JohnNiyo