The Denver Broncos pass defense hits the midway point of the season as the league's best, allowing just 183.9 yards per game. Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI |
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PASSING OFFENSE B-minus -- First-time NFL starter Trevor Siemian has displayed composure under the rush and an improved deep ball that resulted in two long touchdown passes at Cincinnati in Week 3 and downfield connections against San Diego in Week 8. Siemian's yardage per attempt needs to improve; at just 6.9 yards, he ranks 28th among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts this season. He's only thrown four interceptions and had a streak of 167 passes without an interception, the fifth longest in Broncos history. But he also had a slew of near-interceptions in that span, including three in Week 8.
RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus -- After the Broncos' Week 8 win over San Diego, head coach Gary Kubiak described the run game as "nonexistent." That would be an apt description of the Broncos' rushing attack for five of their first eight games, as they ran for fewer than 90 yards five times, and in four of those instances averaged 3.5 or fewer yards per rush.
PASS DEFENSE: A-plus -- Despite injuries that forced DeMarcus Ware, Brandon Marshall and Aqib Talib to miss a combined seven games, the Broncos' pass defense hits the midway point of the season as the league's best, allowing just 183.9 yards per game. The Broncos also lead in passing yards allowed per play (5.7) and are tied for the league lead with 26 sacks, putting them on pace to be the first team in NFL history to lead the league in sacks in consecutive years.
RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus -- The free-agent departure of defensive end Malik Jackson and the training-camp injury to his replacement, Vance Walker, are acutely felt against the run, where the Broncos have been gashed for big plays and have struggled to prevent ball carriers from reaching the second level. With an average of 117.4 yards allowed per game, the Broncos rank 24th in rushing defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B -- Brandon McManus' only missed field-goal attempts were from beyond 50 yards; he is a perfect 16-of-16 from inside 50 yards, and his 18-of-19 success rate on extra points puts him in line with the league average. Rookie punter Riley Dixon has steadily improved; he hits midseason ranked seventh in net average, and delivered a 68-yard blast from the back of his own end zone in Week 8 that prevented the Chargers from starting a potential game-tying drive in Denver territory. Denver's punt and kickoff coverage has been generally solid, and the Broncos rank fifth and 16th in average per kickoff and punt return, respectively.
COACHING: A-minus -- Despite starting two quarterbacks with no previous regular-season passes, being without outside linebacker and team captain DeMarcus Ware for five games, losing head coach Gary Kubiak for one game because of a complex migraine and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips for a half a game after being decked in a sideline collision in Week 8, the Broncos haven't missed much of a beat. Their offense will have to adapt without running back C.J. Anderson, and can't afford many games like the three-giveaway afternoon they had in Week 8, but the Broncos are at 6-2 with a similar equation to what worked last year: a pressure-intensive defense and just enough offense.
OVERALL: B-plus
Most Valuable Player: Outside linebacker Von Miller. With 8.5 sacks and a forced fumble that set up Shane Ray for the game-clinching touchdown return in Week 2, Miller has not only been prolific, but timely in his ability to get to the opposing quarterback. Miller is the ringleader of a pass rush that has a league-best 26 sacks through eight games.
Most Disappointing Player: Left tackle Russell Okung. Although at times Okung has looked good, he has also struggled, allowing Melvin Ingram to get by him for a strip-sack fumble of Trevor Siemian in Week 8. In the last three games, he's been whistled for holding five times, with four of them being accepted.
Most Surprising Rookie: Safety Will Parks. Parks took advantage of fellow rookie Justin Simmons' early-season injury to seize the role as the third safety in the Broncos' dime personnel/nickel alignment sub package they use most frequently on passing downs. Although an interception is his only big play, he's brought steady aggression to the secondary.
