Through the first 17 weeks of the 2025 season, there has been one shocking deficiency with the Denver Broncos that has been constant.
The Broncos have been inconsistent on offense, they've been inconsistent on defense, and they've struggled with penalties. No team around the NFL has been "perfect" this season, and the Broncos are obviously no exception, but there's something wrong with this team that stands out above everything else.
Thankfully, it's something that can change on a dime. It doesn't require an offseason to correct. It doesn't require a big trade or free agent signing. The one fatal flaw that could destroy this Denver Broncos season -- or lead them to a Super Bowl win if it turns around -- is the inability to create takeaways.
Broncos must fix their inability to create turnovers with playoff run looming
So far this season, the Broncos rank tied for the 4th-worst mark in the league with just 12 takeaways. And they would rank even lower on that list if it weren't for a forced fumble by Jonah Elliss on special teams in the Broncos' first matchup against the Chargers earlier this season.
The defense has just 11 takeaways this season in 16 games. That is an absolutely abysmal number for a team with a secondary as talented as the Broncos have, and a pass rush that has gotten home for a franchise-record 64 sacks this season.
The inability to create takeaways in 2025 has led to the Broncos being -5 in the turnover differential department over the course of the season. When you talk about a team that has also given up so much penalty yardage -- especially defensively -- this season, it really paints the Broncos' offense in a completely different light.
They have no margin for error.
Nobody in the NFL is as pathetic as the New York Jets this season, a team without a single interception. The Jets are -19 in turnover differential at this point in the year, but the Broncos rank 7th-worst in that category. They have 17 giveaways in 16 games, which really isn't an unforgivable number for top-tier teams.
The Patriots have 16. The Jaguars have 18. Those are the other two teams vying for the #1 overall seed in the AFC as we sit here today. But unlike other teams at the top, the Broncos' defense hasn't come through with enough turnovers.
When they have, we've seen this team at its best, haven't we? The Broncos had two interceptions against the Green Bay Packers, and erased a second-half deficit to beat the Packers by eight points, with even more likely left on the bone.
The Denver defense has it in them to create takeaways by the bunch. They simply get to the quarterback far too often to not have more turnovers forced at this point. And they need to go on a run of creating more takeaways or it might be a disaster for them this season.