The Denver Broncos needed all 60 minutes to beat the Green Bay Packers, who came into this game as one of the best teams in the NFC and the NFL. Packers' QB Jordan Love has been on fire this year, and this offense is simply a unit that causes issues.
Well, you would have thought that the Denver defense would have been able to handle the Packers' offense given how good the unit has been all year, but that was not the case in this contest. Sure, I might be overreacting a bit here, but what we saw from the Broncos' defense early on in this game was simply not good.
It felt like Jordan Love and the Packers were able to do whatever they wanted with the Denver defense at times. At the end of the day, the unit did button up, but when the offense is able to put 34 points on the board at home, the defense should be able to hold their own, and some.
The Denver Broncos' defense was very shaky at times in Week 15 win
Jordan Love actually had a career-high passing yardage total at the end of the first half for the Packers, and Green Bay actually went into the break with a 16-14 lead, and, simply put, the defense giving up 16 points in a single half at home is simply not OK.
The Broncos have a defensive identity - this unit has been the best part of the team for the entire season, and even during the 2024 NFL Season. Even with the Packers' offense falling a bit flat in the second half, they were still able to score 10 more points.
Heck, even dating back to Denver's Sunday Night Football win over the Washington Commanders, the defense was not playing well at all during that game. All of a sudden, is this defense turning into an unexpected problem? It has felt like the unit softens up the second Bo Nix and the offense give the team the lead.
It also feels like this defense allows five or more yards on first downs routinely, which makes things a lot tougher for that unit. Overall, you do not want to believe that the defense is an issue, but it does feel like it could become one if things do not change.