The Denver Broncos defense does not need to be great in 2022
The Denver Broncos have had to rely on their defense since the 2015 season. However, for the first time since then, the defense doesn’t have to be great.
When the Denver Broncos got blown out by the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 48, the entire direction of the team changed.
In returning to the Super Bowl in 2015, the identity of the team was completely different. Peyton Manning had clearly fallen off, and the fourth-ranked scoring defense was essentially carrying the team week to week.
Being that the 2015 Denver Broncos’ defense, which is objectively one of the greatest, ever, helped the team win a Super Bowl, the defense has been the identity of the team since then.
After Gary Kubiak abruptly retired, the team tried and failed with two defensive head coaches.
Most of the games that the Denver Broncos won between 2015-2021 were largely due to the defense outperforming the offense.
The Broncos were clearly a one-dimensional team and usually only had one way to win games.
Players who were on the defense during this time likely felt extra pressure to put the team on their back.
Now, with Russell Wilson in town and an offensive coaching staff, we should be prepared to watch a much more balanced team in 2022.
I would even go as far as to say the offense will rank higher in most categories than the defense.
Russell Wilson is an elite quarterback who now has elite weapons, so I have no doubts the offense can score 25+ points per game.
The defense doesn’t really have any major questions, and I do think they finish as a better-than-average unit, but it’ll also be refreshing to see a change of pace.
The offense with Russell Wilson should greatly limit their three and outs, which put even more pressure on a defense that just sat down to breathe.
Both the Bengals and Rams made a Super Bowl without an elite defense. Their offenses were largely doing the heavy lifting.
It’s time for Broncos fans to get used to what we have seen in the NFL as of late.