Broncos' Melvin Gordon: 'It Hurt a Little' to Be Benched vs. Chargers After 3 Carries

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon expressed frustration Monday over getting benched in favor of Latavius Murray and Mike Boone against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Speaking to NFL Network's Bridget Condon (h/t NFL.com's Bobby Kownack), Gordon explained how he felt being forced to watch Denver fall to L.A. 19-16 in overtime from the sidelines:

"I'm not gonna lie. It hurt a little today watching. You know, [the Chargers] threw up the little clown logo on my face up there [on the video board], and I noticed it all. It sucked. It sucked knowing that I wasn't able to do anything about it. Go out there and help my team win. Going into overtime, sitting watching the whole game, knowing that I could be out there. So, that kinda hurt. But it's part of it. What don't kill you makes you stronger mentally."

Gordon began the game as the lead back on the first drive and carried three times for eight yards, but he did not see the field at all in the second half or overtime.

With Gordon out of the picture, Murray was on the field for 27 offensive snaps and carried 15 times for 66 yards. Boone only carried once for one yard, but he was targeted four times, catching one of them for three yards on his 19 offensive snaps, compared to Gordon's eight.

At one point, the camera showed Gordon shaking his head on the sidelines while Denver pounded Murray in the running game.

When asked to describe his thoughts at that moment, Murray said: "Kind of just waiting for my number to get called so I can go out there and help my teammates. It was a close game. Felt like I could've helped make a difference. But apparently not."

Gordon is in his third season with the Broncos, and his first under head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

Denver re-signed the 29-year-old during the offseason to be a complement to Javonte Williams, and the assumption was that Gordon would become the bell-cow back when Williams was lost for the season due to a torn ACL.

That hasn't been the case, though, as Gordon has rushed for just 201 yards and one touchdown on 55 carries, while catching 11 passes for 98 yards in six games this season.

In a timeshare with Williams last season, Gordon rushed for 918 yards, scored 10 total touchdowns and caught 28 passes in 16 games.

This season, Gordon is on pace for perhaps his worst campaign since his rookie year with the then-San Diego Chargers in 2015 when he rushed for 641 yards and no touchdowns, to go along with 33 receptions for 192 yards.

Since then, he has just one 1,000-yard rushing season to his credit, but he has reached the 900-yard plateau four times and scored at least 10 total touchdowns on five occasions.

Given his experience as a starting running back, Gordon seemed like the clear choice to carry the load for Denver with Williams out, but it didn't happen.

After the game, Gordon had no explanation for it, either, saying: "I don't know. You and me both kind of clueless on that. So, you know, I'm sure it'll be a conversation that's had but to tell you exactly what happened, I can't say. Because I don't know."

With Gordon on the bench and quarterback Russell Wilson battling through a partially torn lat muscle, the Broncos offense struggled again Monday night, mustering only 16 points in an OT game.

The Chargers managed to force a turnover on a muffed punt and kick a game-winning field goal in overtime, dropping Denver to a disappointing 2-4 on the season.

Many picked the Broncos to be one of the breakout teams of 2022, but with another loss to their credit and a key player in Gordon seemingly disgruntled, the season could get away from them soon.