The Denver Broncos’ defense was atrocious last night vs. the Chiefs. They allowed Kenneth Walker to rush for 173 yards, including a 60-yard 4th-down touchdown run, and average 7.5 yards per carry. They also allowed a hobbled Patrick Mahomes in a knee brace to rush for 23 yards, including a 15-yard first-quarter touchdown.
A big reason for the Chiefs’ rushing success was the 28 missed tackles by the Denver Broncos defense. This was the most missed tackles by a defense in a game since at least 2018,
according to Next Gen Stats. Yes, more than their abysmal 70-point loss to the Miami Dolphins in 2023.
It was downright embarrassing and a pathetic effort by what is considered a top-ranked defense.
The Broncos’ struggles vs. the run are, unfortunately, nothing new. In the AFC Championship Game vs. the Patriots, they allowed 141 yards rushing, and in the Divisional Round game vs. the Buffalo Bills, they allowed the Bills to rush for 183 yards. Now, in Week 1, with their run-it-back defense, the results were equally bad, as they allowed a whopping 220 yards on the ground to an Andy Reid-coached Kansas City Chiefs team.
Every big play the Chiefs had on offense was aided by poor tackling. Mahomes touchdown run saw two defenders whiff on tackles in the backfield. Kenneth Walker slashed through the Broncos’ defense and shrugged off multiple defenders with ease. His 60-yard touchdown on 4th down was aided by a missed tackle by cornerback Riley Moss. The Rashee Rice touchdown saw two Broncos defenders whiff on a tackle and allow Rice to scamper into the end zone.
The missed tackles and lack of effort were evident throughout the night. If you want to place blame on anyone, it should be on the two team captains in the middle of the Broncos’ defense. Veteran linebacker Alex Singleton and nose tackle DJ Jones. These two captains are the main players in the middle of the Broncos’ defense and simply have not been good enough lately. We saw it in the playoffs, and the Broncos still re-signed Singleton and preached how important he is to this team. They also brought back Justin Strnad, and the results vs. the run remained the same. As for DJ Jones, you’re supposed to be a run-stuffing nose tackle, but the Broncos’ run defense continues to be a weak point for this team. We saw it vs. the Bills two years ago; it was the theme last season in the playoffs, and it has continued into the season opener vs. the Chiefs.
The issue here is that things do not get easier for the Broncos moving forward. This Sunday, they play the Jacksonville Jaguars, the only team last season to beat them by double digits. They had trouble against the Jaguars’ offense even when they were playing their best last season. If they play anywhere near as bad as they did last night this week, that game could get ugly quickly. Then you have the Rams and 49ers, two offenses that are going to establish the run and usually are successful at it. They are going to watch the tape and attack the defense the same way the Bills, Patriots, and Chiefs have in recent games. The Broncos’ strong pass rush and secondary are weakened if they cannot stop the run consistently.
Vance Joseph needs to correct these issues with the Broncos’ defense, and he needs to do it quickly. If not, things could get bad for the Broncos early on this season. Especially with the offense looking like a mess as well.
