4 moves crushing Broncos playoff hopes in 2023

The 2023 campaign has been a roller coaster for the Denver Broncos. They started the season with three consecutive losses and were 1-5 before finally turning things around. They were able to pull off five wins in a row to improve to 6-5 but have once again fallen off the rails.

Denver has dropped three of their past four games including a shocking upset at the hands of the New England Patriots. The Broncos fought back after falling behind 23-7 and even had a shot at pulling out the win. They failed to do so and that dropped them to 7-8.

Nearly out of contention, Sean Payton and his team are going to need a lot of help if they want to make it to the postseason. With that being the case, here are four moves that continue to crush their chances of making a run.

4. Ignoring the needs on the D-line

Denver didn't have a great defensive line and it got worse when Dre'Mont Jones left in free agency. Their only real replacement wound up being Zach Allen, a free-agent addition from the Arizona Cardinals. Allen is a decent player but he's a downgrade from Jones — and so far, the defensive line has been a problem.

Through 15 games, they're 30th overall in yards surrendered and 31st against the run. They're not much better against the pass, coming in at 24th, but their inability to stop the run is due to their lack of moves on the defensive line. Looking ahead to 2024, this needs to be a major point of emphasis if they hope to get back on track.