The Denver Broncos managed to get out of this six-game stretch with a healthy 4-2 record. If you asked fans before the season began, I bet many would have said that a 4-2 record would be the best- case scenario.
What is interesting about the Broncos lately win is that they actually did not trail in the game, at all. It was a welcome change from literally every other game they've played this year, and that could perhaps indicate that more positive change is coming.
And while the Broncos prepare for Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals, there is a ton that the team needs to improve on.
Denver Broncos have many issues that have to get fixed following the team's mini bye week
Performance on third down
The Broncos have been nothing short of horrendous on third downs this year. On offense, the team is converting just 31.6 percent of their third downs, which is good for 30th in the league. On defense, the team is allowing 44.4 percent third down conversions, which is good for 26th in the league.
Part of the problem for the offense is the non-existent run game, which we'll get to. The team is constantly only gaining a small handful of yards on first down on the ground, which sets up obvious passing situations on second and third down, which then gives the advantage to the defense.
On defense, the Broncos ability to stop the run has taken a huge hit this year. Teams are seeing manageable third down attempts against the Broncos, which neutralizes the pass rush, what the team does best.
The Broncos simply need to get better on third down.
Running the football
Duh.
This is another obvious one. Thus far, the team has averaged just 84.2 rushing yards per game, which is ranked 25th in the NFL. The team is averaging 3.4 yards per attempt, which is 30th in the league. Something that has to change going forward is who is getting these carries, as well as the performance of the unit overall.
J.K. Dobbins has 81 carries for 270 yards. He averaged five yards per carry last year. If that was the case this year, he'd be at 405 yards. Dobbins just does not look himself, and it's worth wondering if he's actually slowing down. RJ Harvey has just 21 carries on the year, which is only good for 4.2 carries per game.
He actually has more receptions than he does rushing attempts. Given how much more explosive Harvey is and how much more of a big play threat he is than Dobbins, I don't really see why the Broncos keep trotting Dobbins out there for all of these carries when it's simply not working.
What would the harm be in giving Harvey five more carries per game? Dobbins doesn't look himself, and when rookie Jonah Coleman comes back, it might then be time for Dobbins to get even fewer carries.
It's the same personnel on offense this year as last year across those first 10 games that Dobbins played, and the most likely scenario here is that the running back, who has battled lower body injuries his entire career, could be slowing down.
Making Jaylen Waddle more of a centerpiece on offense
Jaylen Waddle is second on the team in receptions and first in yards. He has 22 receptions for 228 yards this year. He ranks second on the team in scrimmage yards with 251. When the Broncos swung the deal for Waddle in the offseason, the hope was that he'd inject more life into this offense.
And while he has made some neat plays thus far, he's simply not produced like we thought. There are more internal issues with the passing game, and this isn't to say that Waddle himself has underperformed - the Broncos simply need to get him the ball more.
Waddle is this team's 'easy button.' He's someone that needs to get the ball on early downs especially to ensure the team isn't in second and third and long situations.
He's an exceptional route runner and also, generally speaking, needs the ball in space and, frankly, everywhere. What makes Waddle so unique is that he can seperate vertically and horizontally. He also has ridiculous speed and can also be used for some fun plays out of the backfield.
But he's simply not touched the ball enough. As the Broncos embark on this mini bye week, figuring out how to get Waddle more in the picture on offense is key. This also falls on the shoulders of Bo Nix, too, who should look Waddle's way more often.
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