How the Broncos' Offense Let the Defense Down Again vs. Chiefs

It is tough to go into Kansas City in December and win, but the Broncos' defense did its job only to be let down by the offense in a familiar fashion.

The Denver Broncos put a lot of pride into Sunday's night matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos entered the game on an 11-game losing streak and after falling 22-9, it has grown to now 12 straight. 

Denver wanted to end that streak of ignominy and despite the stakes of this game being first place in the AFC West and control over its playoff fate. But the team came up short.

It wasn't a complete let-down for the Broncos as the defense only allowed 13 points to the high-powered Chiefs offense. Of course, Kansas City totaled 22 points, punctuated by Daniel Sorensen pick-six, and another score coming after a muffed punt that saw the Chiefs start in field goal position. 

Despite some questionable plays and coaching decisions, the Broncos' defense left it all on the field, doing its part to walk out victorious. Broncos Country finds itself in familiar territory once more as the offense let everyone down... again. 

That is, with one clear exception — rookie running back Javonte Williams, who killed it in his first career start. At one point in the game, he had 78 rushing yards, and 71 of them came after contact, which speaks to how bad the offense did overall, but also how dominant he was as the primary back.  

Allow me to catalog the ways the Broncos' offense let down the defense, and thus, the entire team, on Sunday Night Football. 

Running Game

Denver's offensive line was controlled by the Chiefs' D-line from start to finish, making it difficult to have an effective passing game, though there were plenty of other issues that we will get to shortly. Don't get it twisted, the reason the Broncos were effective on the ground was that the running back was making plays and would not be denied. 

Every offensive lineman failed the Broncos, with none of them putting together a good enough game. What was so frustrating with the O-line was watching the players stand around as Williams was still fighting for yards consistently. Help out your guy and look for work since the one standing around closest was usually the one who failed on the play most of the time. 

Adding insult to injury, the Broncos' tight ends and wide receivers also failed to hold up as run blockers. There were multiple plays, both as receivers and blockers, where the players looked soft and had no fight. This has been a consistent issue, and it falls on the coaching staff. 

After a 20-play drive that took up over 11 minutes, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur showed off his stereotypically bad play-call sequencing. Shurmur passed on the final third down and ran it on fourth down. It was a situation where the Broncos were going for it no matter what, so the M.O. should have been to call a run on third down (if you run at all) and pass on fourth down. Why? Because then you know what you need. 

That wasn't the only issue with that series, but the failure to call a timeout on the fourth-down play that saw multiple players visibly confused before the snap. On top of that, watching this emblematic play clarified why there was confusion. 

I don't think Denver had run this play at all this season, and watching the poor execution makes me wonder if the offense even practiced it. 

Passing Game

Now to the passing game, where quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had his second-worst performance on the season. He got baited on one interception that came at a terrible time and threw another that was tipped and returned for a touchdown. This was a terrible game from Bridgewater, and he did his part to hold the offense back. 

Again, Teddy's receivers, while not garnering much of any game-planning focus from Shurmur, played a soft game against the Chiefs. The skill positions in the passing offense utterly lacked intensity. 

Bottom Line

While the now 6-6 Broncos are still in the playoff hunt, they'll need a lot of help to get there, which makes it unlikely they qualify. Missing the playoffs will bring about a change in the coaching staff. This game is another example of why this coaching staff, mainly the big four, is not it. 

Fangio is an excellent defensive coach, but he can't handle the other aspects of being a head coach. For example, competently deciding when to throw the challenge flag. 

Denver needs a head coach more suited to the modern NFL, and an offensive coordinator that can put together a strong game-plan with creative play designs. Right now, the Broncos' coaches are too old school, and teams can't win in the NFL approaching each game like it's still the 1990s or early 2000s. 

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