Somebody had to admit that the Denver Broncos' defense is struggling badly, and thankfully, it came from within the locker room and not just everyone in the media. Anytime a unit is struggling, the players have to be the first ones to recognize it, and pass rusher Nik Bonitto was particularly expressive about his displeasure with the way he played against the Jaguars.
Beyond just taking ownership for the way he has been playing, Bonitto pointed out the difficult truth right now about the Denver defense that's been ongoing since the bye week.
Bonitto said that the Denver defense hasn't been playing "our type of ball" as of late, and that they've got to find a way to get better.
Broncos star pass rusher NIk Bonitto admits the defense has been struggling lately
OLB Nik Bonitto said #Broncos haven’t played “our type of ball” on defense since the bye week and they “got to get better.” In the four games since the bye week, the Broncos have allowed an average of 25.8 points after giving up an average of 17.5 points in the first 11 games.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) December 22, 2025
The stark contrast between the first 11 games and the last few is alarming. The Broncos have obviously played against a ocuple of really good teams since the bye, but the defense got shredded by Washington Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who may have played his best game as a pro coming out of Denver's bye week.
We've discussed the staggering difference between the Broncos pre-bye week and post-bye week for the past couple of seasons. The Broncos had a complete defensive breakdown late last season as well from the month of December on to the playoffs against Buffalo.
The same issues plagued the team in 2023 against the Lions and Patriots.
It's been the same type of stuff these days. Even though Denver's defense had a nice second-half surge against the Packers, they also gave up way too many yards and points in that game as well. At least, for how high the standard is for that group (and should be).
We saw the defense finally put too much pressure on the offense to the point that the offense couldn't get the job done. We've seen the offense pull through in other situations this season, but they didn't have the magic on Sunday against the Jaguars.
The Denver defense has been too good this season to be struggling like this. Miscommunication, free runners on the back end, and poor tackling have defined this unit since the bye week. Not to mention, penalties and very few takeaways.
It's not a sustainable brand of defense being played by the Denver defense right now. We might see them take out some aggression on the Chiefs on Thursday night, but it's also important to remember that Kansas City is trotting out its third-string quarterback -- Chris Oladokun -- for that game with both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew hurt.
We may not see another true test for this Denver defense until the Chargers' game in Week 18. And maybe that's a good thing.
Last year, the Broncos' defensive woes weren't corrected in the regular season. They had a "get right" game against Kansas City's backups in Week 18 before facing off against the Bills in Buffalo. And they were absolutely dismantled.
This may be a stretch, but maybe the Chargers' game in Week 18 can be a nice buffer for the Denver defense as they get set for a playoff run, hopefully hosting throughout as the AFC West champions.