Broncos offensive collapse continues as defense dominates

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During the Denver Broncos 29-19 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs it was very easy to see exactly what the issue is for the Broncos. The offense is in a death spiral, as Trevor Siemian continues to regress.

As Ian St. Clair and I discussed on the MHR Radio post game recap, Siemian’s play was expected, and is not truly noteworthy. There was no surprise here from his play. Three interceptions was the culmination of a guy who has lost himself. Throwing across his body in an attempt to get the ball to the other side of the field had to be the last straw. He has shown who he truly is, and now, reports say the Broncos are considering a change. Good.

The game didn’t exactly start off well for the offense with Jamaal Charles fumbling. As excited as many have been in Broncos Country for him to get a shot, this is his M.O. He puts the ball on the ground. Turnovers kill games, and the Broncos had 5.

The strangest part of his fumble was the reaction. As Ian said on the recap, how does Vance Joseph justify allowing Siemian to stay in the game, or Isaiah McKenzie with all his issues to stay in the game, but he goes away from Charles after one fumble? It says more about Joseph’s issues as a head coach, than Charles’s issues with turnovers.

But let’s not get away from some of the good things the Broncos are doing. Notably, the defense. It is unreal to see just how good this defense is. The Chiefs were 2-12 on third down conversions. That is a stat that should indicate a win.

The Chiefs were 0-2 in goal-to-go, and 0-3 in red zone efficiency. Again, the Broncos defense is stout, but are being let down by an inept offense that has gone backwards since the win against Dallas.

It seemed the defense was going to mutiny last week. Chris Harris, Jr. appeared to show signs of problems in the locker room after the loss to the Chargers. He doubled down after the loss to the Chiefs, voicing his frustrations. The Broncos can’t keep going this direction, expecting the defense to look the other way.

Here’s another fun stat; the Broncos won the time of possession, 31:23 to 28:37. Average starting field position may have helped this, but this is another snap shot of how bad the offense is. When the average starting field position for the Chiefs was their own 40, the Chiefs could have put up 45. Instead, the defense did more than their job. The two drives that started in, or just outside of the red zone resulted in field goals. Unreal.

The defensive line held Kareem Hunt in check. Only Travis Kelce had any real success versus Denver, which has been typical for him over the last few seasons. Watching the defense operate has been bittersweet. For a season and a half the offense has floundered, while the defense struggles to keep things close. Their efforts are being wasted on the ill-fated attempt to find a quarterback.

The Broncos now sit at 3-4, and it could get worse. One thing is certain, there will be plenty of blame to go around, and none of it belongs to the defense.

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