State of the Broncos at the Quarter Pole

After starting the season 0-2, the Denver Broncos found a way to get back-to-back victories on the road. Against the New York Jets, it wasn’t pretty and it could have gone the other way, but the Broncos still came out with the win.

An 0-2 start would give plenty of teams reason to panic, but the Broncos are now .500 for the season and have faced three quality defenses (Tampa Bay was without several starters and isn’t among the top units). Things could get interesting as the Broncos face some teams who aren’t as strong defensively, though they will face some quality offenses.

What do we know about the Broncos after the first four games? Let’s look at each of the four aspects of this team and how they’ve measured up thus far.

Against the Jets, the Broncos offense was terrible in the first half. Bo Nix’s passes were off, likely because of the rain, and the running game wasn’t there. But the Broncos played in the second half, running the ball well, and Nix had more zip to his passes.

Again, the Broncos have faced three quality defenses in the first four weeks. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks, in particular, rank among the top defenses in the NFL. The Broncos won’t face a unit as strong as those two for at least a few weeks.

But the potential is there for the Broncos to be a solid offense, even a good offense. Nix is doing better with his decision making, the offensive line is doing well even with Mike McGlinchey’s absence and, while the Broncos lack an elite playmaker, they have the players who can get the job done.

It will be interesting to see how the Broncos do against the Las Vegas Raiders, who do not have a good defense. The Broncos need to have a good showing on offense, but if they do that in the Week 5 matchup at Mile High, there will be room for more optimism with the unit.

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Going into the season, there were plenty of concerns about how good the Broncos defense would be. Some wondered if this unit would be the downfall of the team.

After four weeks, it’s clear this defense can get the job done and then some. For the first four weeks, the defense has been the main reason the Broncos have stayed in games and, the past two weeks, they’ve held two quality offenses to just 16 points.

Consider Baker Mayfield, who has been playing well this season, but got just one touchdown pass agains the Broncos. Or Aaron Rodgers, who threw five touchdowns in the first three weeks but didn’t get a single scoring pass against the Broncos.

Despite not having a lot of elite playmakers other than Patrick Surtain II and perhaps Zach Allen, the Broncos defense is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. The Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, who are doing well on offense despite injuries, will likely test the Broncos defense, but if they come up big, then this unit could find itself among the best in the NFL.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Broncos struggled on special teams. Sure, they had a reliable kicker but they lacked a quality punter and had a coverage unit that was mediocre at best, but often bad.

That’s changed in the past two seasons. The Broncos punt coverage unit has been great, not allowing opponents to get much in the return game. And several times, the punt coverage unit has pinned opponents inside the 5-yard line, making it tough on opposing offenses.

Wil Lutz did miss a 50-yard field goal near the end of the Jets game but he’s been a steady performer otherwise. Riley Dixon did shank one punt against the Jets but he’s been consistent when it comes to his punts.

The Broncos are also getting quality work from Marvin Mims Jr., who has done a good job with fielding punts and knowing when to attempt a return and when to call for a fair catch. While Mims has yet to return a punt for a touchdown, he’s still getting the results you want to see.

Sean Payton hasn’t necessarily done the best job with play-calling, but give him credit for this: He’s not allowing the players to let mistakes get the best of them. The players continue to get after it, no matter the situation, and that’s what you want to see.

And what more can be said about Vance Joseph? He has silenced his critics by getting the most out of the defense.

The Broncos may not have an elite pass rusher, but they have 15 sacks in four games. The secondary, thought to be a weakness going into the season, is doing a good job, and when players have exited the lineup with injuries, others have stepped up.

Let’s not forget the job done by special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica. Since he has come to the Broncos, he has worked wonders with a unit that was among the worst in the NFL. After an abysmal 2022 season, the special teams showed improvement last year and, this year, ranks among the NFL’s best.

There’s always room for improvement, of course, but the coaching staff has these players believing they can win games. That can do a lot for a team that may lack experience in some areas, but has shown it has the talent to come through.

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