In general, talent will rule the day in the NFL. But even in that case, play between the 20s in your average pro football game is about scheme, the playbook and the execution of the plan.
That’s the case on offense or defense. Either the explosive, splash plays happen or they don’t.
But inside the 20, it’s a matchup deal, your guys against their guys, and whichever group makes the plays will decide the issue.
The Broncos simply aren’t winning enough of those matchups. Whether it is injury or mistakes or just the time it will take to dig out from last year’s 4-12 finish, the Broncos are not winning the battles down in close — and have two three-point losses to show for it.
“On defense, that means they capitalize on everything you do wrong,” linebacker Wesley Woodyard said. “And in the games we’ve lost, we feel like (the offenses) capitalized on everything we did wrong.”
After three games, the Broncos’ defense has faced 11 possessions that advanced inside their 20-yard line. Their opponents have scored a touchdown on six of those drives — 54.5 percent — and scored 10 times overall (touchdown or field goal), or 90.9 percent.
That puts the Broncos 21st in the league in allowing red-zone touchdowns and tied for 23rd for allowing red-zone scores.
That’s not good enough for a team that usually has to answer scores surrendered with longer, more methodical drives on offense. There are some teams having success, notably Buffalo (3-0), ranked lower than the Broncos defensively in the red zone, but the Bills have also faced two of the highest-scoring teams in the league in Oakland and New England.
Also quirky in the defensive rankings is the fact none of the AFC West teams are faring well in what is a key defensive statistic, with Denver 21st in red-zone touchdowns surrendered, Oakland 25th, San Diego 27th and Kansas City 31st.
It could bode well for the division race, but not when the team faces the likes of the Packers, Patriots, Jets, Bears and Bills outside of the division.
Offensively, despite the repeated calls in the public domain for changes up and down the depth chart, especially at quarterback, the Broncos have done a little better, being tied for 11th in red-zone touchdown percentage — 50 percent — ahead of such teams as the Saints, Steelers, Ravens and Texans.
The issue is opportunity. The Broncos have had just eight possessions reach inside their opponents’ 20-yard line, well behind the Patriots’ 16 and the Bills’ 14, which are 1-2 in the league in the category.
“You’ve got to block a few, make a few miss and you’ve got to run over a few,” Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton said. “When you get down there, you have to find a way to punch it in.”
The bottom line is that in the ultimate team game, the Broncos still need some individuals to step forward when the goal line is in sight.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
