The Denver Broncos defense has really gotten taken advantage of in recent weeks. This unit has become a huge liability in recent weeks. The Los Angeles Chargers were moving the ball with ease against the Denver Broncos in their brutal Week 16 loss, and all of a sudden, this unit is kind of becoming a liability.
Sheesh; where do we begin? Well, in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Broncos defense seemingly didn't show up until the second half, as Vegas carried a lead heading into the third quarter. Then-starting QB Gardner Minshew was having his way with the Broncos defense before they snapped out of it.
The Broncos defense is now a problem
In Week 13, things were even worse for most of the game. Cleveland Browns starting QB Jameis Winston threw for nearly 500 yards, and former Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy eclipsed 200 receiving yards. Cleveland had over 500 yards of total offense, and if it wasn't for Winston gifting the Broncos three interceptions, Denver probably loses that game primarly because of their defense.
And in Week 14 versus the Indianapolis Colts, the defense was getting worked early on by Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor. Indy still managed to rush for 149 yards and did torch the Broncos early on. And in their most recent game, in Week 16 versus the Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos defense was just porous all game.
LA had 263 passing yards and put up 34 points on the Denver Broncos. Heck, the offense was even able to gift the defense an 11-point lead at one point in the second half. You would think a unit that we thought was among the best in football would have been able to hold onto that lead.
It's been a tough watch if you're a Broncos fan lately with this defense, and the team now gets to travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals. Of course, this may be yet another primetime, nationally televised game for the Broncos as well. You just have to wonder what defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is going to do between now and then to figure something out.
Getting starting CB Riley Moss back would be ideal, but the Broncos just need to hit the 'factory reset' button and figure themselves out. This unit is too good and too talented to be letting opposing teams run and throw up and down the field on them. All of a sudden, Denver's defense has become a huge liability.