The Denver Broncos lost again for the same reasons that they had lost three of their previous four games. Despite an outstanding performance from their defense, the Broncos still lost, and it's because of the offense. In the past few weeks, fans and coaches have defended Trevor Siemian over and over again, and they are incredibly wrong to do so. Trevor Siemian is awful, and he is 100% the issue. People were blaming the offensive line and lack of a running game. They ran for 177 yards against the Chiefs and still lost so apparently that isn't the issue.
The reason the run game suffered before was that there was zero threat of an aerial attack. The running game showed up in Kansas City, and Trevor Siemian failed to capitalize yet again. People blamed the defense for not generating enough turnovers. First off, that's an incredibly naive statement considering how conservative opposing offenses can play and still win. Secondly, the defense forced three turnovers against a team that hadn't turned the ball over since the first play of the season. Guess what, Trevor Siemian failed to take advantage, and the Broncos still lost. Despite how much I hold Trevor Siemian individually responsible for his poor play, I don't view this as his fault. Siemian can't help how terrible he is.
He can't help that he shouldn't be on an NFL roster, but was still named the starter of a Super Bowl caliber team. All he can do is play his best and unfortunately his best performance week in and week out is pathetic, and looks like a Division III quarterback playing Alabama's defense. The blame for this skid falls on one person and one person only: John Elway.
Why it doesn't fall on Vance Joseph's shoulders.
Vance Joseph is trying everything he can. Elway is asking for the Sistine Chapel, but has only given Joseph a box of crayons to accomplish it. Yes, Joseph does have a world class defense. And that defense has played outstanding and is doing everything they can to help this team win.
Coaches can't control how a player performs. All he can do is prepare him as much as possible, and Joseph has publicly said he has tried changing the way they practice to try and make something work. It hasn't, but that doesn't mean it's on him. Joseph isn't the one giving Tyreek Hill and Travis Benjamin low and short punts. That's Riley Dixon. Joseph isn't the one deciding to throw the ball to a third-string tight end covered by Marcus Peters and missing him by ten yards. That's Trevor Siemian. Joseph isn't the one fumbling the ball. That's Jamaal Charles. That's also Isaiah McKenzie. A coach can only be held responsible for so much. The fact that the Broncos have three wins this season is incredible.
Yes, you can blame Joseph for not benching Siemian, but look at his other option. It's Brock Osweiler. The Cleveland Browns are paying him to not be on their football team. Paxton Lynch is just now healthy, so he hasn't been a viable option this season. Joseph is missing one piece to the puzzle and Elway continues to hide it from him. That's why Elway is solely responsible for this team's struggles.
John Elway's biggest mistake.
John Elway made a bold move by replacing Peyton Manning with a seventh-round pick out of Northwestern in only his second season. That experiment failed miserably, and the Broncos missed the playoffs for the first time in John Elway's tenure as the General Manager. The next year comes, and Elway decides to do the same thing.
He left Trevor Siemian as the starter, and I am baffled as to why he would do such a thing. Elway could have gotten Tony Romo if he had given up a sixth or seventh round pick. The players he used those picks on are not on the active roster and likely would have gone undrafted and could still be on the practice squad. The good news is, Elway still has time to fix this issue. The trade deadline has not passed yet so he could trade for someone. Kirk Cousins might available now that the Redskins are likely too far out of the playoff picture and they will probably lose Cousins to free agency, so there is an incentive to trade him. The Vikings could be willing to part with Teddy Bridgewater based on Sam Bradford's successful play.
Eli Manning has been rumored to be available, based on the Giants wanting to rebuild now after a disappointing start to the season. A.J. McCarron could be an option now that Andy Dalton has improved his play under a new offensive coordinator. Maybe even give Peyton Manning a call because in his "horrendous" year he at least found a way to generate just enough offense to win games. At this point, the Broncos locker room might even accept a retired quarterback like Brett Favre or Kurt Warner. Maybe Elway will put the pads back on and do it himself. The Broncos are desperate, and Elway needs to do something if they are going to compete at a high level anytime soon.
