Denver Broncos: Trevor Siemian is not the team's biggest problem
The Denver Broncos have plenty of problems at 6-3, but the biggest problem is not quarterback Trevor Siemian. What is this team’s glaring weakness?
The Denver Broncos are 6-3, but you might think they were 0-9 based on the way some of the fan base has reacted to the team’s recent loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday Night Football.
A 30-20 loss at the hands of your biggest division rival is certainly not something you’re going to celebrate, but there’s got to be some perspective here and patience from the team and the fans moving forward. What are the Broncos doing well? Where are they struggling? What is the team’s greatest correctable flaw?
Right now, although there are plenty of problems with the Broncos offensively and in the middle of the defense, I don’t think the biggest problem is the quarterback, young Trevor Siemian. I don’t even think the biggest problem is the offensive line.
The problem right now, Broncos fans, is head coach Gary Kubiak. Don’t get me wrong, I love Kubiak as this team’s head coach. There’s no question in my mind he’s been the right man for the job. He’s pulled the right strings at the right times, especially during a Super Bowl run, but consistently, the Broncos have been put in bad situations offensively because of Kubiak’s game planning and inability to exploit other teams’ weaknesses.
In the Broncos’ Super Bowl season a year ago, they averaged about 22 points per game, good for 19th in the NFL. It’s not terrible, considering how well they played defensively, but it’s also below average at best.
The offense, with Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler, was moving the ball at a rate of 355.5 yards per game, 16th in the league. They ranked 14th in passing, 17th in rushing, and were 25th in converting third downs. They also finished last season with a -4 turnover differential.
This season, the Broncos rank near the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive category. Thanks to the defense’s ability to create turnovers and points on its own, the Broncos rank 13th in the NFL in scoring at just under 24 points per game. They rank 28th in total yards, 25th in passing and 23rd in rushing. When it comes to converting third downs, the Broncos rank 28th in the NFL at just 35 percent. They also rank 28th in the NFL in time of possession.
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There’s a common theme here, and it’s the ineptitude of the coaching staff to adequately prepare for a game. The Oakland Raiders have one of the worst defenses in the NFL this year. They rank near the bottom of the league in every category, but the Broncos were unable to exploit a single weakness.
In fact, the offense didn’t have a first down until its fifth possession of the game. The Broncos are one of the worst in the NFL at going three-and-out.
Here’s a recipe for disaster:
1. Your coaching staff doesn’t instruct the kick returner to keep the ball in the end zone on a kickoff.
2. Your offense can’t get a first down with horrible starting field position.
3. You struggle — and have all year — with false start and holding penalties.
The Broncos didn’t have a hope or prayer in this Oakland game because Gary Kubiak didn’t plan for a way to beat them. I don’t buy that Trevor Siemian is that incapable of moving the ball. We saw the Broncos get into a hurry-up offense and Siemian was making nice throws and moving the ball down the field.
But whenever the Broncos had success with that, they would get into another third down situation and call a horrible play once again. The consistency with which Gary Kubiak calls third down pass plays that are designed to be caught short of the line to gain is absolutely staggering.
And if it’s not Kubiak calling these plays and it is Rick Dennison, Kubiak needs to take over the play calling and revoke Dennison’s right to do so. It’s absolutely abysmal.
The Broncos have said on a number of occasions they have to run the ball better. It’s impossible to do that when you try and get in a shootout from the first drive of the game, and you have as many rushing attempts (12) as you do possessions in the game.
The offense has to perform better, but how often is Gary Kubiak drawing up plays to move the pocket? Why are the Broncos not going deep more often with their top flight receivers? Why is there no real commitment to running the football? What are the Broncos’ kick returners thinking this year, not taking the 25 yard line every single time the ball is kicked into the end zone?
It’s unbelievable to watch, really.
And in regards to penalties, the Broncos have committed the 2nd most penalties in the NFL at 71 this season, behind only the Oakland Raiders who won a game with 23 penalties.
All of these things — lack of discipline offensively, poor game planning, not exploiting mismatches, no commitment to running the ball, not taking a knee in the end zone on kickoffs — they are all reflective of Gary Kubiak and the issues that he specifically needs to address.
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