Stat’s just wrong: Denver Bronco game five stat review and discussion

The Denver Broncos defense is trending toward some historically bad territory.

Through five games the Broncos are currently allowing the highest points per game in NFL history - 36.2 (181 points allowed in five games). If you remove the 70 points allowed to Miami, the team is still allowing 27.8 ppg. That figure would be good for 28th in the league currently. Of course, it’s not ALL on the defense. The offense allowed nine points last game, and you could blame the special teams for three points, but that belies that fact that the defense has been atrocious.

The worst team in NFL history (that still exists) in yards allowed per carry was the 2022 Chargers and they allowed 5.42 yards per carry. The Denver Broncos are currently allowing 5.94 yards per carry or more than a half a yard than the worst rushing defense ever!

The Broncos are also allowing 6.95 yards per play. That’s 0.33 yards per play more than the worst team ever, the 2015 Saints who allowed 6.62 yards per play. In the history of the NFL there have only been two teams that have allowed more than 6.5 yards per play. The other was the 1961 Vikings. They allowed 6.52 yards per play.

For whatever reason, our defense is making ever QB we face look like an AllPro . The Broncos have allowed a passer rating of 124.6 through five games. If the season ended today that would be the worst ever. For a full season the worst ever was, you guessed it, the 2015 Saints. They allowed a passer rating of 116.2.

The Bronco pass defense is currently allowing a league worst 9.1 yards per passing attempt. To put that in perspective, the worst team in 2022, Chicago, allowed 8.0 yards per passing attempt. You have to go back to 2020 to find a defense that allowed anything close to that 9.1. The 2020 Lions allowed 8.5 yards per passing attempt. They are also currently second worst in NFL history in terms of passing rating allowed at 112.4.

With how terrible our run defense has been, maybe teams will stop throwing on us and just run our defense to death. The Broncos have already allowed ten runs of 20 yards or more through five games. The historically good 2015 Denver defense allowed five in sixteen regular season games. Going back to 1994 (as far back as stathead goes), the most ever allowed by a Bronco defense was 22 allowed in 2010. The 2023 Bronco defense is on pace to allow 31.

The four runs of 40 or more is already close to the most ever allowed (since 1993) by a Bronco defense. That dubious “honor” goes to the 2008 Bronco defense that allowed six runs of 40 or more.

1. LaDainian Tomlinson for 45 yards (tackle by Champ Bailey)
2. DeAngelo Williams up the middle for 56 yards, touchdown
3. Thomas Jones right tackle for 59 yards, touchdown
4. Maurice Jones-Drew up the middle for 46 yards, touchdown
5. Larry Johnson up the middle for 65 yards (tackle by Dre’ Bly and Champ Bailey)
6. Justin Fargas up the middle for 42 yards (tackle by Jamie Winborn)

So as to not think it’s all doom and gloom, there is some good news. As I type this Broncos are currently 11th in scoring with an average of 24.2 ppg. The Broncos have not been this close to the top 10 in scoring for a full season since they finished second in scoring in 2014. In fact, the Broncos have not finished higher than 19th since 2014 (finished 19th in scoring in 2015). In case you don’t remember, the team finished dead last in scoring last season. That was the first time ever that the Broncos had finished last in scoring.