Times are tough in Broncos Country.
Since finishing the first quarter of their season with a 3-1 record, the Broncos have spiraled into a five-game losing streak with their most recent loss coming in the form of a 41-16 thrashing by the New England Patriots.
A five-game losing streak is a strange thing to witness for Broncos fans, and what makes it worse is the fashion in which those five losses have come. Beginning with a loss to the then-winless New York Giants, the Broncos haven’t been in any of those five games. Denver has lost all five games by double digits and have a combined scoring differential of minus-97 points over that span.
Whether it is because of a sputtering offense, an overworked defense or a special teams meltdown (or all of the above), the Broncos find themselves in the middle of what’s quickly becoming a lost season.
The Broncos’ chances of resurrecting their 2017 season get slimmer with each loss, but despite their slide, outside linebacker Von Miller has kept his faith in his team and his coaching staff.
“It was a tough one tonight, just like last week and the week before that,” Miller said following the loss to the Patriots. “Things will get turned around I can feel it. It’ll be good.
“[Head Coach Vance Joseph] has been great for us. It’s not the head coach or the coaches. We got out on the football field and we play as players. It’s not the coaches. It’s a tough situation that we’ve been dealt, but it’s not coaching.”
The fact of the matter is that the Broncos are simply running out of time to get things turned around. While the offense had one of their better games in Sunday night’s loss to the Patriots, their list of problems isn’t getting much shorter.
“It’s still a good football team, but the record and the way we’re playing is not a clear indicator of that,” Miller said. “We got a good football team in us, but what we put out there is a bad football team.”
Even though the clock is winding down on their season, Miller knows that they still do have a chance, albeit a slim one, to right the ship. Even after two bad losses, he’s not getting down on himself or anyone else.
“As tough as this one is, as tough as last week’s loss is, I still have positive vibes with me and I can still feel it,” Miller said. “I still love all of the guys in the locker room. We still have an opportunity. It’s tough tonight just like last week, but we still have daylight. We still have a lot of light at the end of the tunnel.”
Miller’s positivity is great, but he knows that nothing will change if the Broncos don’t find a way to execute.
“We’ve just got to find a way to win games.”