Broncos' Top Justification for Firing Vic Fangio: Can't Win the Big Games

Boiled down, this is why Vic Fangio won't survive Black Monday.

Vic Fangio has not been a good head coach for the Denver Broncos. His 19-28 record shows it and so does his game management. 

Fangio is in over his head and the results indicate he has no business being a head coach in the NFL. With all his faults, the biggest reason he is not head-coaching material is that he cannot claim victory in those must-win games. When everything is on the line, he folds like a cheap picnic chair under the pressure.

Worse, the Broncos have taken on the same persona. Yes, the Broncos have surprisingly beaten a couple of good teams this year — they've also had their way with many bad teams. 

However, when it's a gotta-have-it game against a beatable opponent when victory is of the utmost importance, Fangio cannot get it done. He has zero clutch ability as does the team he leads. Critics can point to many different issues, but the blame stops at the top.

Perfect Conditions Required

The Broncos have some very good players on the roster, but the only player who had a track record of taking over games and willing the team to victory, Von Miller, was traded away mid-season. Bradley Chubb, the team’s highest draft pick since Miller, has made a next-to-zero impact this season — outside of his Week 16 interception — and little else prior. 

The latest quarterback in the carousel, Teddy Bridgewater, is having a career year (in the touchdown department), but he is only capable of getting the win when things are going the team’s way.  The players and Broncos are a replica of Fangio. 

If the head coach's strategy is working, then it's pretty smooth sailing, but when the team is having some trouble, he has nothing to provide by way of adjustments. Fangio cannot elevate his team and or its players — even the good ones. 

Look no further than Fangio's horrendous record when the Broncos are behind at halftime. His record when trailing at the half is an abysmal 1-23, or, otherwise a guaranteed loss.

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our FREE newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Squandering the Playoff Hunt

Let’s examine the 2021 season. It has been an exercise in inconsistency to say the least. The Broncos have had the luxury of facing a less challenging schedule this season than in the past under Fangio.

That analysis was done and it can be read here for reference. Just because th Broncos have an easier schedule, doesn't mean they can only beat terrible opponents.

The Broncos were in the playoff hunt because of two signature wins against quality teams. Denver went on the road and beat the pants off of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. The Cowboys only had one loss on the season when they faced the Broncos and still possess a winning record at 11-4 and are now running away with the NFC East title and are only one game out of the No. 1 playoff seed in the Conference.

The Cowboys also possess the No. 1 offense in the league in both yards and points and that was true when the Broncos beat them. The Cowboys’ defense has not been terrific, but it isn't in last place either, having only given up 21 points per game. That was a quality win.

The Broncos also took care of business against their division foe, the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers were 6-4 when they met the Broncos in Week 12 and had wins against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns. The Chargers currently own a record of 8-7 and are still in the playoff race.

The Broncos thoroughly whipped them 28-13. This was another victory against a potent offense as the Chargers were putting up 385 yards and 27 points per game and at the time were in the hunt for the AFC West title.

The other win that isn’t talked about enough is the victory over the Washington Football Team. Washington currently sits at 6-9, but has been tough to beat many times this season, and also has a signature win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Washington is a scrappy opponent that is no pushover, even if its record isn’t exactly reflecting huge success. Week 7 was another quality win that is often dismissed.

'Any given Sunday' is a cliche in the NFL for a reason. There is more parity in the NFL than any other major sport and even if the competition looks bad on paper, the lesser opponent can pull off an upset. The Broncos have handily beaten most of those lesser foes, with only a few hiccups this season.

Coming up Small in Must-Win Games

The problem comes down to the must-win games. The games against opponents when a win catapults the Broncos into top-tier status — or a loss drops them to cellar-dwelling status. These are the games that hold the utmost importance in Denver's pursuit of postseason hopes and they typically come against teams with the same aspirations hanging in the balance.

The first of these games happened when the Broncos traveled to Kansas City to face the Chiefs in primetime. If Denver had successfully finished that game with a win, it would have found itself in first place in the division and would’ve controlled its playoff destiny. Instead, Denver got spanked in embarrassing fashion.

The Broncos blew out the struggling Detroit Lions in the very next game and got the fans' hopes up about the playoffs. Then came the next big, deciding game. 

If Denver could find a way to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, the team would be in control of a Wildcard spot. It was a home game against an opponent with the same record so the outcome looked promising. 

Alas, Fangio again folded. He could not get his team to perform under the pressure. The Broncos had a chance to win that game, but couldn’t get it done.

Finally, the last gasp came this past Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. If the Broncos were to lose, not only were their playoff hopes over, but it would put the final nail in the head-coaching career for Fangio. 

To get swept by the Raiders — under an interim head coach — would ensure another early vacation for the team and Fangio would most certainly be looking for a defensive coordinator job come Black Monday. His firing would also mean that he would never be a head coach again. 

This game had literally everything on the line. Fangio couldn’t perform under the pressure as he got beat again.

Bottom Line

Fangio is not head-coaching material. He cannot lead the team nor can he elevate players. 

Fangio just doesn’t have what it takes when the chips are down. With everything on the table, he withers and comes up small. Of the many reasons he should be relieved of his duties, this is the biggest of the bunch.

---

Follow Thomas on Twitter @ThomasHallNFL.

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!