Multiple-choice pop quiz, Bronco Nation. Three games into their season, the Broncos are: a.) really good; b.) really bad, or c.) really average.
You’re not alone. Beats the heck out of me, too. Frankly, I thought they were beyond the kind of performance they put on Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High. To say they stunk like a skunk is an insult to skunks.
Make no doubt, of all their issues, one stands above all the others. Forget the red-zone offense. Forget the five touchdowns in three games. Forget the shoddy special teams.
The Broncos’ biggest problem is run defense. Denver has 20 rushing first downs, six fewer than the Broncos’ opponents. That’s unheard of for a Mike Shanahan team.
The Broncos have outrushed the opposition in each of Shanahan’s 12 seasons. Four times, they’ve run for 1,000-plus more yards.
“That’s what we usually do to people,” Shanahan said after the Jacksonville debacle, “and they did it to us.”
They ran for 186 yards to the Broncos’ 47. They had 11 rushing first downs to the Broncos’ two. They controlled the ball for 38 minutes, 42 seconds with their running game.
You don’t suppose the Colts and the rest of the Broncos’ future opponents will take notice, do you? Nah, didn’t think so.
Follow Jim Armstrong’s daily Broncos commentaries on The Jimmy Page at 7 a.m. and noon. And read his Third & Short column on Sundays and the day after Broncos games.
He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
