Denver Broncos: Five simple fixes that can turn the ship around

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DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 14: Strong safety Darian Stewart #26 of the Denver Broncos runs with the ball after an interception of a pass intended for wide receiver Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams in the third quarter of a game at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on October 14, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Force more turnovers

This may be a bit of a selfish request, but it also goes back to the argument of winning first down plays.

The Broncos’ defense is getting so badly gashed on first down in the running game that teams are not playing to their one real strength which is getting after the quarterback.

Jared Goff only had to complete 50 percent of his passes against the Broncos with no touchdowns and even a fortuitous interception for the Broncos that bounced off the chest of a Rams receiver. Goff never seemed like he didn’t have control of the game, as well as the Broncos, were defending the Rams’ potent passing attack.

We saw something very similar against the Chiefs, where the Broncos laid a bit of groundwork on how to stop Patrick Mahomes before he took over with some magical work in the fourth quarter of the game.

Denver’s pass defense has had moments where they’ve looked horrendous this season, including last week against the Rams at times, but they have had a couple of really good games as well and are capable of so much more than they’ve shown.

The Broncos need to win first downs defensively so they can put teams in positions where they have to throw, and the pass rush can do its work.

The more opportunities the Broncos have to rush the quarterback, the more turnovers this defense will have a chance to create.

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