The Denver Broncos are having their best season in a decade and find themselves atop the American Football Conference West division with a 9-2 record heading into their Week 12 bye.
Denver’s success can primarily be attributed to the impeccable defense that is first in the National Football League in sacks with 49. The defense has stepped up in a huge way when the offense is stagnant, and the offense has been a problem despite winning eight straight games and nine of 11.
Head coach Sean Payton calls the plays and while the offense isn’t bad, it’s dangerously inconsistent. The offense’s best quality was the running game, highlighted by star veteran J.K. Dobbins, but Dobbins will miss the rest of the season with a foot injury.
Dobbins was fifth in the NFL with 772 rushing yards and averaged five yards per carry. Losing Dobbins is a devastating blow, and Broncos fans witnessed just how important Dobbins was to this team.
In the Broncos’ first game without Dobbins, rookie RJ Harvey made the start and logged 11 carries for just 30 yards. Denver’s lone touchdown came from veteran Jaleel McLaughlin in the third quarter, but he only had six carries for 19 yards. The Broncos will likely run as a committee going forward and not having Dobbins leading the way may be detrimental to this team as the season progresses.
ESPN’s Jeff Legwold described what has gone well and wrong for this offense.
“Start with the Broncos being 9-2, tied for the best record in the AFC, thanks in large part to one of the league's best defenses,” Legwold wrote Monday. “They're 4-0 in games they trailed at the start of the fourth quarter, including a remarkable 33-point fourth quarter in the 33-32 win over the New York Giants in Week 7. They've been productive enough offensively in crunch time to have six wins by eight or fewer points.
“In addition to a special teams unit that has had more than its share of bobbles, this team's offense is out of sorts. Quarterback Bo Nix's spotty footwork has made him one of the least accurate passers in the league (30th in off-target attempts entering Week 11). The Broncos run the ball well (top 10 in rushing) but choose not to do it over extended periods of time. And they had the second-most penalized offense in the league over the first 10 weeks with 52 penalties (including declined penalties).”
The Broncos will take this week to rest and figure out how to fix the offense’s woes moving forward. Denver will face the Washington Commanders on the road in Week 13.