Broncos' defense has only allowed five third-down conversions since Week 1

There are positive signs of life in Vic Fangio's defense.

These first three games have been so bizarre for the Denver Broncos. Watch the tape and one can see several aspects of this squad, especially on offense, that are vastly improved over last year. 

It's perhaps a little bit harder to find a similar reason for optimism on the defensive side of the ball, because the Broncos have not only opened the season 0-3 but have failed to sack the quarterback even once, or take the ball away. 

However, after allowing the Oakland Raiders to march up and down the field in the season-opener, the Broncos' defense has stiffened significantly on third down. 

In Week 3, the Broncos held the Green Bay Packers to 2‐of‐9 on third down. Considering Denver's inability to get to Aaron Rodgers, that 22.2% conversion rate on the money down is noteworthy. 

Since allowing Oakland to convert 10‐of‐14 third downs in Week 1, Denver has allowed its last two opponents to convert only 5‐of‐20 combined third-down attempts. That is a winning statistic. 

So why hasn't it resulted in actual victories? Head coach Vic Fangio, narrowing it down to the Broncos' 27-16 loss to the Packers, hit the nail on the head. 

“The three turnovers and none for us, especially when our turnovers happened, trumped anything else.” Fangio said from the podium at Lambeau Field following the game. 

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That pretty much tells the tale. The Broncos turned the ball over a whopping three times on offense, giving the Packers the ball in Denver territory, which makes it dang-near impossible to win on the road. 

Sacking Aaron Rodgers would certainly have helped. But when the margin for error is razor-thin and an offense coughs it up three times and hands the opponent 14 points like the Broncos did in Green Bay, it's going to lead to a loss. 

Once the Broncos stop shooting themselves in the foot, they might be able to grind out a few of these close games and make the necessary plays in the clutch to win. 

"We’re not doing enough good things that the good teams that win do, which is protect the ball," Fangio said. "It hasn’t been a problem in the first two games, but it was today."

The Broncos now have four giveaways in the last two games and with zero takeaways, that makes the team minus-4 in turnover differential. Another losing statistic. 

But seeing how this defense has managed to execute and smother offenses on third down is encouraging. We just need to see it result in some wins. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.