Mike McGlinchey is out 4 weeks with an MCL injury. For a mediocre Denver Broncos offensive line, that’s bad news.

Especially because McGlinchey has been the better offensive tackle for the team through two weeks.

Mike McGlinchey out 4 weeks, hurting the Broncos O-line

McGlinchey, the Broncos starting right tackle, was injured near the end of the 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday.

Talk about adding injury to insult.

While the first reports said his timeline was fluid, that was updated to at least four weeks.

Losing a starting tackle for a quarter of the season is bad. And it’s even worse considering the amount of pressure rookie quarterback Bo Nix has been under.

According to Pro Football Focus, he’s been under the fourth-most pressure, at 43.3% of dropbacks.

And McGlinchey has been much better than Bolles this season, so far. McGlinchey (64.3) has a higher PFF grade than Bolles (47.9). Plus, the right tackle has won 91% of pass blocking snaps per ESPN, 20th-best.

When it comes to Pass Block Win Rate (PBWR) for the entire O-line, Denver is currently 14th at 61% of their snaps. That discrepancy between PBWR and pressure rate suggests Nix is holding the ball too long, and his line has given him a decent amount of protection. But still not as good as Sean Payton would like to see.

“I would say we were inconsistent,” Payton said of the O-line on Monday after the loss. “There are times we’d do a pretty good job and there are times we’re either allowing penetration or getting beat, maybe right at the snap. We’ve got to be more consistent. I think that’s one thing that you’d definitely take away from it.”

In terms of run blocking, the Broncos line is winning 73% of the time, which is 12th-best.

Going forward, it’s going to be difficult for Denver to find consistency without one of their starting tackles for at least four weeks. Keep an eye on the right side of the line, as that will likely prove to be a weak point.

Alex Palczewski stepped up in McGlinchey’s absence on Sunday, although Frank Crum is listed as the No. 2 RT. Palczewski is a second-year player out of Illinois and usually lines up on special teams for extra points and field goals.

Denver’s defensive front is getting after QBs, stopping runs well

Mike McGlinchey being out four weeks is tough, especially considering the O-line has been middle-of-the-road.

But the good news is Denver’s defensive front has been borderline great in both pass rush and run block win rates.

According to ESPN, the Broncos have won 60% of pass rush opportunities, which is second-best in the NFL. And their run stop win rate (34%) is sixth-best.

While the offense has been awful, boring, and predictable Denver’s defense has been stout against the Seahawks and Steelers.

In fact, Jonathan Cooper and Zach Allen have been destructive beasts up front.

Allen has the No.1 Pass Rush Win Rate (PRWR) among interior linemen, at 31%. Also doing damage up front is Malcolm Roach, who’s won on 14% of his snaps. So far this year, Allen has 1 sack, 5 QB hits, 2 tackles for a loss and a safety.

On the edge, Cooper is enjoying a breakout season. Against Seattle, he enjoyed 2 sacks, 4 QB hits, and 2 TFLs. His PRWR is tied for second among edges at 35%. Of note, Cooper has only been double teamed on 8% of those snaps, so he may draw more attention from multiple defenders soon.

Denver’s defense is currently ranked 10th in scoring (19.5 PPG), sixth in average plays per drive (5.1), and eighth in red zone percentage (33.3%).

That unit will be tested this week with the hot Baker Mayfield and 2-0 Tampa Bay up next on the road.

Denver (0-2) vs. Tampa Bay (2-0) kicks off at 11 a.m. MDT on Sunday, Sept. 22.