Five ways the Denver Broncos can get back on track

After starting out the season 4-0 and looking like they still might be the team to beat in the NFL, the Denver Broncos have crashed back to earth over the past two weeks.

First, they allowed nearly 400 yards of offense, while mustering just 267, against the Atlanta Falcons. That added up to a 23-16 loss at home.

Then, they went on the road to the 1-4 San Diego Chargers and looked completely inept, committing 12 penalties and getting outworked for most of the night.

But the NFL season is nothing if not long, and we know that the Broncos are more than capable of getting back on track and making a strong push into the postseason.

Here are five ways the Broncos can get back to playing championship-level football:

1. Start faster on both sides of the ball

Yes, it sounds easy, but it isn’t quite that simple.

Imagine planning and preparing all week, only to see the plans and schemes that you install, failing to work again and again. So far, that is exactly what Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips have experienced.

The Broncos have scored just 13 first quarter points through their first six games.

Hey, they have two quarterbacks that are basically rookies, so that is to be somewhat expected, right?

That might be fine, but it isn’t just the offense that is struggling. Through those same six games, the Broncos defense has allowed 41 points in the opening period.

So, either the Denver coaching staff has to tweak what they are calling to start, or they need to make some quicker adjustments once the game is underway. And the players must come ready to play from the opening kickoff, because right now, the Broncos, on average, are spotting their opponents a five-point lead, every time they take the field.

2. Force some turnovers

If your offense is struggling, one way to help them out is to give them a few more possessions in each game.

Last season through the first six games, the defense had already forced 17 turnovers and the Broncos were 6-0, despite not getting much production from their offense.

So far this year, the Denver defense has forced just 10 turnovers, and it is the offense that is feeling the difference.

We saw in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that if you put this offense in some advantageous positions, their improvement in the red zone can generate some points.

If the Broncos are going to get back into contention, they need to provide some more takeaways on defense.

3. Develop your run game

Notice that I didn’t say “get better at running the football.”

I don’t have any idea if this group is actually capable of grinding down their opponents with a potent rushing attack, but they had better find a way to get something out of their run game.

Right now, the Broncos are averaging 98.5 yards per game on the ground, and that isn’t putting much fear into opposing defenses.

That’s part of the reason why we see quarterbacks Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch under constant pressure: the play action fakes don’t help slow that pressure one bit, because opposing defenses have no fear of the run game.

Maybe the return of offensive tackle Donald Stephenson and tight end Virgil Green will eventually get this front opening up some running lanes, but until then, it is up to Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison to find some success.

That might mean using a short passing game to set up the run, or it could mean more carries for backup running back Devontae Booker, who has been showing some explosion through the holes.

But an improved Broncos run game would cure a great many of the offense’s ailments.

4. Show some improvement on third down

One key area for improvement, on both sides of the ball, would be if they could start making some serious strides on third downs.

Offensively, the Broncos have faced 77 third downs. They have converted on just 29 of them, which ranks them 21st in the NFL. Moving those chains does more than just keep your drive alive, as important as that is; it allows your defense to better understand what the opposing offense is doing, and game plan accordingly.

But it isn’t just the Denver offense that is struggling on third downs.

The defense is starting to improve, but they are still allowing opponents to convert on nearly 37 percent of their third downs.

In the NFL, no down is as important as third down. The Broncos have to start getting a few wins on these downs if they are going to get back to their winning ways.

5. Eliminate the mental mistakes

So many of the Broncos failures in execution come down to one very simple thing: mental mistakes.

The penalties, the dropped passes and the missed assignments reflect a lapse in focus. It happens to the best of teams. And the Super Bowl hangover is very real. It is the reason that in the last 51 seasons, just seven teams have been able to repeat. They get content, and they lose their focus.

If the Broncos are to regain their Super Bowl form, they will have to guard against all of those mental mistakes, and stay sharp.

That edge is what carried them a year ago, and it can pick them back up again this season.