Five things we learned about Broncos 35-9 defeat to Dolphins

The Denver Broncos were abysmal again on offense in their 35-9 defeat to the Miami Dolphins mustering just a single field goal all day. This against a Dolphins defense that was giving up 35 points per game over the last five weeks.

Defensively, the Broncos did everything they could to hold the line, but after being on the field for nearly forty minutes on Sunday the line finally faltered after Trevor Siemian and the offense had multiple three and outs in the third quarter.

What we learned from this game had little to do with the game itself and more about the future of this team.

1. Change is coming.

Until now, I had been a defender of Vance Joseph. I felt he was getting a raw deal and doing his best to keep things together. However, it has become painfully clear that his message is stale and his broken record is no longer being heard. He will need to be let go. The only question now is whether or not it happens now (as in today) ... or later.

2. Trevor Siemian should never start again.

I think Siemian will make a fine backup in this league, but as a starter he will be one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. Why they didn’t start Brock Osweiler is beyond me. He started against the two best teams in the NFL and at least looked competent. Instead, against one of the worst defenses in the NFL we got this:

People who believe Siemian would be a good quarterback with a better offensive line only need to look at his stats when kept clean in this game. According to Pro Football Focus, Siemian was 15/31 for 176 yards 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions with a whooping 26.5 passer rating when throwing from a clean pocket.

That door on Siemian’s career as a starter has been slammed shut for good.

3. Adam Gase has a personal beef with John Elway.

Apparently, Gase doesn’t like Elway and it is personal. The onside kick, which to fans seemed a bit classless was just Gase slapping Elway in the face.

Considering the Dolphins are not very good, perhaps Elway was right not to help Gase’s case in 2015. The sour feelings led to Gase abusing his former defensive coordinator in the most insulting and embarrassing way.

Stay classy, Adam.

4. Players realize they need to play for their own tape.

Back to the first item on this list. Change is coming. Not just with Vance Joseph, but with the roster. Even elite players like Demaryius Thomas realize that no one is going to be safe from Elway’s wrath come offseason.

“At this point, we don’t even care we just want to win, and (expletive) we can’t beat nobody,” Thomas said after the game. “We got to figure it out as a group. We got to stick together. We just got to keep fighting. We got to keep grinding. If the season ends this way, it ends this way. We just can’t give up. We can’t stop playing. We can’t put bad film on tape for nobody, because there’s going to be a change. We don’t know what it is going to be, but it’s going to be a change. We just got to keep fighting and try to get one.”

It’s going to be a wild offseason for sure.

5. Broncos fans are soft.

Sorry, but Broncos Country deserves to be called out. I have never seen so much whining and complaining and even finding new teams to root for than I have this season.

When did Broncos fans become such a soft bunch? What happened to the fans who suffered through the 1960s or those three Super Bowl blowouts of the 1980s? When did we become such a spoiled, bratty little bunch of fans?

It’s time to toughen up and keep supporting and rooting for this franchise. The 2017 season is one of the worst in franchise history, but if history has proven anything is that the franchise will bounce back.