Are the Denver Broncos on the decline?

In an article from Sportsnaut, they discussed six teams they felt had peaked and are now on the decline. And yes, the Denver Broncos made the list along with the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Seattle Seahawks.

I tried reading their reasoning, but only the first two paragraphs made much sense.

It really doesn’t matter how good Denver’s defense is if the team doesn’t find a way to solve its problems on the other side of the ball. Even after both Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch struggled under center last season, the Broncos did very little to address the quarterback situation. This has put new head coach Vance Joseph in an unenviable position of having to hold an open competition for the starting gig during the summer. These two combined for 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while leading an offense that ranked in the bottom 11 in points scored.

Neither quarterback was aided by much help on the ground. C.J. Anderson dealt with more injuries and played in a total of seven games. Meanwhile, rookie Devontae Booker failed to do much of substance in his stead. This led to a Broncos rushing attack that ranked 27th in the NFL.

They also ended by saying the Oakland Raiders are going nowhere but up, which is an absurd statement to make. Plenty of teams have one amazing year and then regress back to a mean. The Kansas City Chiefs are still good, but I would argue they are on the decline too and soon will be in transition to a new, young quarterback of their own.

But with Oakland going nowhere but up and the Chiefs coming off yet another stellar season, it looks like the Broncos are not even legitimate playoff contenders right now. Depending on how the Los Angeles Chargers perform, we could really be looking at a bottom feeder in Denver this upcoming season.

Bottom feeder? LOL. Now that I think about it, clearly this was written by a Raider fan.

That said, the original question is a valid one for the Broncos. When the word ‘peak’ is thrown around it comes down to the defense. Is the defense passing its peak and entering the downward trend?

I feel 2017 is the last season where we’ll see them at their peak and then inevitably they will slope back down some and all we’ll have will be history like we do with the original Orange Crush. So cherish this next season, enjoy this defense. It’s time at the top is soon coming to an end.

Horse Tracks

How the Broncos' defense will be a bit different in 2017
Head Coach Vance Joseph and Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods won't be reinventing the wheel. But there will be tweaks designed to make a terrific unit even better.

Jake Butt interview about his name
Jake Butt interview about his name on 9News

Broncos have put on weight in offseason -- and that's a good thing
The additions of Domata Peko and Zach Kerr have given the Broncos added size on their defensive line, one that struggled to stop the run last season.

Broncos work through growing pains of third new offense in four years
OC Mike McCoy, in his second stint with the Broncos, says some of his system may be familiar but he's learned new tricks and continues to evolve.

Broncos fans fixed the Madden NFL 18 cover
If you don't want Tom Brady on the cover of your Madden NFL 18 video game, you can print this version of Denver Broncos star Von Miller.

Who Should Start At Defensive End For The Denver Broncos, Opposite Derek Wolfe?
The Broncos bolstered their defensive line in the offseason. With several options, who should start opposite of Derek Wolfe at defensive end? Colby Valdez examines.

Richard Sherman makes good on promise to fund student’s college education
Sherman told Hershai James that if she landed on the honor roll, he would pay for her college.

How did you become a fan of your NFL team?
Here are some fun stories. You can also tell us your own!

A rally for Colin Kaepernick at NFL HQ showed how far his voice carries
Many gathered across the country Thursday in honor of Colin Kaepernick and his stance against police brutality.

Torrey Smith says Colin Kaepernick is still unsigned because teams ‘can’t get over a protest’
Kaepernick’s former teammate, Torrey Smith, weighed in on his situation.

Jim Harbaugh responds to Brandon Jacobs, who says he’ll get him fired
Jacobs says Harbaugh "didn’t know what he was doing" in San Francisco.

Bears fan receives birthday cake decorated with old, NSFW Mitchell Trubisky tweet
That is certainly *a* cake. Remember when the entire city of Chicago booed when the Bears drafted Mitchell Trubisky with their 2nd pick in the NFL Draft?