3 Reasons Broncos’ Season is Over

And just like that, the Denver Broncos season is over. Throw the white towel in. While not saying it, the Broncos are admitting the season is done as they put players up for trades by next Tuesday’s trade deadline. There many reasons why this season hasn’t panned out like the Broncos and their fans would like to have. Here are three reasons why things are going downhill.

Sputtering Offense

Teams can’t win football games in the National Football League when they can’t score points and move the ball. And Denver is doing neither of those on offense. For all the fanfare he generated when he arrived, quarterback Joe Flacco has been mediocre at best. His rating sits at 86.3 and he has six touchdowns with five interceptions. The offensive line isn’t helping matters either. Flacco has been sacked a staggering 23 times for a loss of a total of 186 yards. Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman have rushed for a total of 752 yards, while Courtland Sutton and Emmanuel Sanders have 66 catches for a total of 931 yards. Something needs to change, and maybe it’s Drew Lock’s time when he comes back from injury.

Image courtesy of the Associated Press

No Defense

Since the injury to linebacker Bradley Chubb, the defense hasn’t been the same. They did pitch a shutout against the Tennessee Titans, but allowed third-string quarterback Matt Moore to have his way. After the injury to Patrick Mahomes in the second quarter, Moore went 10/19 with 117 yards and a touchdown. This from a guy who played garbage time against Jacksonville in Week 1, and didn’t play a down in 2018. The defense hasn’t put any pressure on the quarterback, and have recorded only 13 sacks this season. Von Miller has 2.5 while DeMarcus Walker has four. Prior to going out with an injury in Week 4, Chubb had five tackles for a loss and a sack. Vic Fangio was supposed to bring his defensive prowess from the Chicago Bears, but that hasn’t happened. Teams are not afraid to try things on offense against this team.

Lack of Leadership

This was one of the complaints during the Vance Joseph era – no one stepped up and took a leadership role. That seems to be the case again this season. Flacco is not a leader, never was in Baltimore and isn’t one in Denver. No one on offense has taken a position to lead this offense down the field. They have star talent, but no leaders. The offense looks lost and confused. It’s the same on defense. Von Miller can be a leader when he wants to, but it looks like it was passed to Bradley Chubb prior to his injury. Who will step up and take the reigns?  Someone needs to and quick.

Is it time to blow up the Broncos? Maybe, as the team is fielding offers for Emmanuel Sanders and cornerback Chris Harris could be on the trading block. The team may even field offers for Von Miller. Something needs to change and quick, as the Broncos head for an unprecedented third straight losing season.

Featured image courtesy of USA Today

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