The Broncos defense didn’t come through when it mattered most

In their biggest game of the season, the Broncos lost at home on Sunday to the Bengals. With a chance to place themselves squarely in the playoff race, Denver fell by a 15-10 count, dropping to 7-7 on the season and putting themselves in a tricky spot to earn a postseason berth.

Given the disappointment, finger pointing is sure to ensue. And given that they scored just 10 points, the Broncos offense will be culprit No. 1.

To a large extent, that’s fair. That’s a pretty anemic effort.

Before Teddy Bridgewater left the game in the third quarter with an injury, Denver had mustered just three points, coming on a 54-yard field goal by Brandon McManus. They failed to reach the red zone a single time.

With Drew Lock in relief, the Broncos offense was slightly better. They scored a touchdown on a 25-yard pass to Tim Patrick. And they reached the Bengals nine-yard line on a promising drive, only to see it end with a Lock fumble.

It wasn’t good enough. Not by a mile.

But the Broncos defense shouldn’t get a free pass. They also weren’t good when it mattered most on Sunday.

Yes, they held an explosive Bengals offense to just 15 points, more than 12 below their season average. And sure, they limited Joe Burrow to 157 yards passing and Joe Mixon to 58 on the ground.

They didn’t, however, make any plays. Once again, Denver applied the “bend-but-don’t-break” approach, trying to limit big plays and hold the opponent to field goals.

For the most part, it worked. But it wasn’t good enough.

The Broncos didn’t force a single turnover. They didn’t set their offense up on a short field. They never made a momentum-changing play.

Denver’s offense isn’t built to march the length of the field. So having an average starting field position of their own 21-yard line isn’t ideal. Starting three drives at the 10 or less is a recipe for disaster.

But it wasn’t just the overall lack of playmaking that was an issue. The Broncos defense also failed in three critical moments.

Late in the first half, Brandon McManus missed a 51-yard field goal attempt. The Bengals took over at their own 41-yard line with just :09 on the clock.

Despite the clock being stopped on the change of possession, Denver called a timeout. They wanted to get their defense set.

Fangio decided to play extremely soft, having three defensive backs 30 yards off the line of scrimmage. He was surrendering the middle of the field, which allowed Burrow to hit Tyler Boyd for a 19-yard completion. The Bengals called a timeout, kicked a 58-yard field goal and went into the locker room with a 6-3 lead.

A great defense doesn’t give up points in that situation.

“We called a timeout because we had one left, just wanted to see what the look was,” Fangio explained after the game. “I probably should have had us in a better call there. That one could be on me.”

Despite all of their struggles on offense, the Broncos did take a second-half lead on Sunday. When Lock and Patrick connected, Denver was ahead 10-9 with 1:15 to play in the third quarter.

It lasted 45 seconds. Fangio’s defense gave up a two-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that put the Bengals ahead for good.

A great defense doesn’t immediately surrender the lead.

“They ran a play-action pass, and we got sucked up a little too much,” Fangio said. “It was a really good play on their part, tough play for us to defend in that situation. Give them all the credit there.”

Somehow, the Broncos were still in the game late. Trailing 15-10, the Bengals faced a third-and-10 at their own 22-yard line with 3:28 to play.

If Denver could get a stop in that situation, they’d have more than enough time to mount a late drive. But they couldn’t Burrow hit Boyd for a 15-yard gain.

A great defense gets off the field in that moment.

“I thought the defensive players did a great job,” Fangio added. “That’s a really good offense. They score a lot of points against most everybody. They get a lot of yards. My hat’s off to the defense, I thought they played extremely well.”

That comment is missing the point. It’s focusing on the stats that looked good, while ignoring those that don’t.

The Broncos are built to win because of their defense. That’s the side of the ball that has to make plays, especially in key moments.

Denver’s offense is designed to be conservative. Their goal is to not turn the ball over. They’re more than happy to burn some clock and kick the ball away.

They weren’t good enough on Sunday. Not by a long shot. And Lock’s critical fumble was a huge play in the game.

But they weren’t the only problem. Far from it.

The Broncos defense was good on Sunday. But it wasn’t great.

Great defenses don’t give up a field goal in nine seconds. Great defenses don’t surrender a lead in two plays. Great defenses get off the field on third-and-10 with the game on the line.

It’s not all about points and yards. It’s about moments. It’s about making plays.

On those fronts, the Broncos defense wasn’t good enough on Sunday. And that’s a big reason why their playoff chances are looking bleak.

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