Broncos blueprint to beat Lions in Week 15 is an obvious one

The Denver Broncos face off against the Detroit Lions in Week 15 of the 2023 NFL Season with a ton of playoff implications on the line. Denver can definitely take advantage of this matchup. One of the biggest issues for the Lions going into this season was improving their defense. And when the 2023 season began, the Lions' defense did seem to be drastically improved.

However, the wheels are falling off a bit for this unit, and it's become clear that their glaring weakness is something that the Denver Broncos tend to do well. Over the last seven games, Detroit has gone 4-3, but they've lost two of their last three games. In those seven games, they have given up triple-digit rushing yards in five games and have allowed opponents to rush for 124 rushing yards per contest.

They've also allowed 231 yards through the air during that span. I do want to focus more on their rushing yards allowed, as during the Lions' first six games, they didn't allow a single opponent to rush for 100 yards and held their foes to just 65 rushing yards per game.

It's truly been a tale of two seasons for the Lions. Their run defense has totally collapsed over this second-half stretch, and it's a big reason why the team hasn't been winning as frequently. Winning in the trenches is why teams win or lose in the NFL. Just go back and look at the recent teams who have made deep playoff runs.

They all boast strong play along the offensive and defensive lines. Well, the Broncos' OL has been solid this year and the team has rushed for 131 yards per game over their last three games. Right now, I think the blueprints for Denver to go into Detroit and come out with a win are pretty clear. I tend to think that the Lions are going to sellout to stop the run, which may also open up some deep shots down the field.

This could end up being a very prolific day for the offense, and playing inside a dome keeps them free from the elements. The last time Denver had to travel for a primetime game was in Week 10, when they walked off the Buffalo Bills on a Will Lutz field goal. To me, I think you can expect the Broncos to again prioritize the run against a poor run defense and also try to open up the passing game from there.