The Denver Broncos struggled to win games in 2020 due to a variety of problems within the organization. How did the play on the field look?
2020 record: 5-11
- Division record: 1-5
- Record against teams with winning records: 1-7
Vic Fangio came into his 2nd year as head coach of the Broncos with hopes to improve from their 7-9 record in 2019. Key injuries, inconsistency, and playing the Chiefs twice a year led to a regression in Denver.
They started off the year without Von Miller and would lose Courtland Sutton shortly after. Drew Lock was in and out of the lineup battling injuries and a sophomore slump. The Broncos played the infamous game in which they had to start Kendall Hinton, a practice squad WR.
Denver limped to the finish line with a 1-5 record in the final six games of the regular season. Let’s see how Denver compared to the rest of the NFL, and how their key contributors performed.
Team Ranks:
| Total Offense | 23rd (5369 yards) |
| Passing Offense | 26th (3451 yards) |
| Rushing Offense | 13th (1918 yards) |
| Total Defense | 21st (5887 yards allowed) |
| Passing Defense | 16th (3807 yards allowed) |
| Rushing Defense | 25th (2080 yards allowed) |
| PPG | 28th (20.2) |
| PPG Allowed | 25th (27.9) |
| Offensive Line Ranks | |
| PFF | 25th |
| Football Outsiders (Adjusted run yards) | 28th (4.02) |
| Football Outsiders (Adjusted sack rate) | 19th (6.8%) |
| 2020 Offense Play Selection |
| Pass – 57.1% |
| Rush – 42.9% |
| PFF Top 5 Graded Players in 2020 |
| 1. Garett Bolles LT (90.6) |
| 2. Shelby Harris DT (88.3) |
| 3. Bryce Callahan CB (84.1) |
| 4. Kareem Jackson S (80.4) |
| 5. Justin Simmons S (77.4) |
Leading Passer: Drew Lock
- 57.3 completion percentage
- 16 passing touchdowns
- 15 interceptions
Leading Rusher: Melvin Gordon
- 986 rushing yards
- 9 rushing touchdowns
- 4.6 YPC
Leading Receiver: Jerry Jeudy
- 856 receiving yards
- 3 touchdowns
- 16.5 YPR
Defensive MVP: Justin Simmons
- 96 tackles
- 5 interceptions
- 9 passes defended
How long did they hang in the playoff race until?
Week 13. The Broncos were able to bounce back from a 0-3 start to win 4 of the next 7. This set them up in a position where they had to win out if they wanted any chance to sniff the postseason.
Nothing hurts more than having your season on the line, and then seeing Patrick Mahomes on the opposite sideline.
The Broncos played competitive ball in Arrowhead, holding the Chiefs to 9 points in the first half. Their offense was just not able to finish off the job, as they had two chances to win the game late in the 4th quarter. The drives would end on a punt (on 4th and 3 near midfield) and an interception by Drew Lock.
Story of the season: Too many turnovers
The Denver Broncos led the pack in team giveaways, which is a distinction that no team wants to hold. In games where the Broncos had a negative turnover differential, they had a 3-7 record.
Losing the turnover battle is how you lose momentum and energy on the sidelines. For the Broncos, they clearly still had some talent despite these injuries. They were just not able to overcome giving the ball away 2 times a game.
Drew Lock led the way with 15 interceptions and 3 fumbles lost. But there were many culprits, as Melvin Gordon had 4 fumbles lost, KJ Hamler and Jerry Jeudy had 2 each (not lost) themselves.
For the Broncos to get back to the playoff contender they once were, they will have to fix this turnover issue immediately. If the offense can be stable, it will allow this dominant defense to once again rise up.
