The Broncos got exposed.
Nothing feels worse, especially when you’re trying to save your season. After making a switch at quarterback in hopes of kick-starting a lethargic offense, the entire team laid an egg instead. To make matters worse, the playbook was finally written on how to defeat one of the league’s top defenses, and the New England Patriots are coming to town to test it out.
So who do we blame?
Surely, the inability of the offense can’t be put squarely on the shoulders of the now-benched Trevor Siemian. After receiving the majority of the blame for the team’s inability to put up an average of 18 points per game, the team made a switch to backup Brock Osweiler.
Osweiler went out and… did pretty the same thing. He finished the game 19-of-36 for 208 yards, a garbage-time touchdown and two interceptions, good enough for a quarterback rating of 53.4.
“Philadelphia is too good of a football team,” Osweiler said during a post-game press conference. “When you get into their territory, you have to find ways to score touchdowns. You’re not going to beat a team like that on the road by kicking field goals and punting the football all day.”
But that has become the Broncos M.O. this season. They are averaging only 327.3 yards of total offense a game, and scoring only 18.8 points per game, placing them at 22nd overall. The team also sits at a lowly -12 in turnover differential, tied for last with the Cleveland Browns.
This blame game doesn’t stop with just the offense, though. A league-leading defense seemingly gave up, allowing itself to be exposed and embarrassed. The defense entered the game ranked first overall, first in rushing defense, and in the top 10 in passing defense.
In fact, the rushing defense hadn’t yet given up a touchdown to an opponent through the first eight weeks of the regular season, a stat that helped them stand apart from the rest of the league. They left the game with three scored against them, including one on a 46-yard footrace by the Eagles’ newly-acquired Jay Ajayi, who had a short week to learn the playbook after his trade from Miami.
“I do not think that anyone thinks they played good [Sunday],” said linebacker Brandon Marshall. “I definitely feel like I did not play good at all. We just have to do more. We just have to find something deep down inside us and just fight.”
Marshall and the Broncos’ defense now finds themselves ranked 25th for points allowed with 24.8, and have dropped to sixth in rushing defense. The only saving grace is a rise in pass defense, where they are now ranked third overall, but 25th in touchdowns allowed with 16, four of which were given up to Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz on just 15 completed passes.
“They knew everything we were going to do today,” said cornerback Chris Harris Jr. “They had a good game plan. Carson Wentz is a great quarterback. They kind of stole the Chiefs’ offense. They just executed a lot better than us.”
The coaching needs to be included in the mix as well. Since head coach Vance Joseph’s arrival, the team has seemingly regressed on all fronts, and a lack of discipline has reared its ugly head. The team ranks sixth in penalties, and was flagged 14 times against the Eagles for 105 total yards.
“It starts with me,” Joseph said. “I’m the head coach here, so it starts with me. I’ve got to fix this.”
In Joseph’s first year as head coach, the Broncos have given up more interceptions through eight games than all of last year, are on pace for 126 penalties — up from the 119 last year — and are scoring only 18.8 points per game — compared to 20.8 from last season.
“We have to figure out our brand of football and fix this.” Joseph said.
They need to fix it quickly, as a matchup against the New England Patriots on Sunday night is coming up for the Broncos. Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense are averaging 27 points per game and lead the league in passing yards per game at 302.1.
