Denver’s defense added to its long list of in-game blunders in the third quarter against the New York Jets on Sunday.
With the Broncos up 13-8 with 13:39 remaining, Jets quarterback Zach Wilson handed the ball to running back Breece Hall, who tore his ACL a year ago against the Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High.
Hall was running with no restrictions Sunday, and it sure looked like it when he took advantage of a wide-open gap and exploded down the field for a 72-yard touchdown to take a 15-13 advantage.
Broncos defensive tackle Mike Purcell, who was in for an injured D.J. Jones, was pushed back by an offensive lineman while Kareem Jackson took a poor angle as Hall, who had 177 rushing yards on 22 carries, breezed by him for the go-ahead score.
“It was one of those wide zones. He cut back (and) I’m a middle guy, so I have to (get him) down in that situation,” Jackson said. “But we gave up. It has to be a collective effort.”
In the Broncos’ 31-21 loss, the defense allowed 407 offensive yards. Safety Justin Simmons and cornerback Pat Surtain II spoke on wanting to be better and improving execution. But Denver allowed 59 points and 878 yards to the Bears and Jets — two offenses that oscillate between middling and bad. So it’s time to wonder if Denver’s defense is beyond fixing.
This season, Denver has allowed the most total yards in the league (450.6 per game) and the most points (36.2 per game). Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph receives a ton of blame, but the Broncos were struggling near the end of last season as well. They allowed an average of 31 points and 357 yards in the final five games of 2022, including 51 points to a Baker Mayfield-led Los Angeles Rams team.
Against the Jets, they allowed Wilson to complete 73.1% of his passes — the highest single-game completion percentage in his career.
Miscommunication, missed tackles — the Broncos have 68 through five games, according to Pro Football Focus — and not executing the game plan are some of the issues defensive players have alluded to when asked about their struggles. On Monday, head coach Sean Payton said in a conference call that they’ve had “poor gap integrity” through three games. Denver has allowed 187.6 rushing yards per game this season.
“It’s going to be tough to win games if we can’t stop the run defensively, and we have to get it cleaned up,” Payton said “I’d start with fitting the right gaps and then understanding scheme-wise what we’re getting and how to restrict those holes. It’s not communication. It’s the technique, but that has to get better.”
The Broncos defensive line has yet to make an impact. Outside of Zach Allen’s first quarter against New York, when he picked up his first full sack of the season, he has struggled to live up to his $45.75 million contract. Second-year cornerback Damarri Mathis has not held down his end of the bargain opposite Surtain. Young edge rushers Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper have shown promise as edge rushers but run defense remains a problem. Purcell, Simmons, inside linebacker Josey Jewell and veteran outside linebacker Frank Clark have battled injuries. Clark, who appeared in his first game since Week 1, played 11 defensive snaps and didn’t record a single tackle on Sunday.
The defensive issues seem fixable, but as long as the Broncos continue to make the same mistakes, nothing will change. And with games against Kansas City in two of the next three weeks and Buffalo after the bye week, they might continue to trend in the wrong direction.
“It is a number of things, and I can’t pinpoint it to exactly one thing,” Simmons said. “It’s going to start with the leadership. Ultimately, (I) and the linebackers are responsible to get guys lined up. I have to be better with that in that regard. That’s what it is going to take.”
Extra points
• Bonitto recorded two sacks in the first half, becoming the first Bronco since Malik Reed in 2020 to have multiple sacks in back-to-back games. He is tied for sixth in the league in sacks with 5½.
• Denver’s run game stumbled after a promising first half. The Broncos, who totaled 139 rushing yards against New York, were held to 24 yards on the ground in the second half. “There are breakdowns in what we’re doing in the running game,” Payton said.
• Rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. and running back Jaleel McLaughlin saw their workload increase. Mims played 20 snaps, while McLaughlin was on the field for 21. Defensive end Ronnie Perkins played 15 defensive snaps in his NFL debut.
• Surtain locked up Jets top receiver Garrett Wilson. According to Next Gen Stats, Surtain allowed one reception for 12 yards and had an interception on four targets against Wilson. Surtain lined up against the second-year wideout on 20 of 29 routes.
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