Despite struggles, don't expect major changes for Broncos' offense

ENGLEWOOD, Colo – The Denver Broncos rank 28th in the NFL in terms of yards per game, 25th in pass yards per game and 23rd in rush yards per game. In their three losses, the team is averaging just over 16 points.

Sunday night, as the Denver offense continually failed to move the ball, they put their normally stout defense in tough position after tough position, helping to afford the Oakland Raiders an average starting field position of the 37-yard line. That field-position battle, lost much in part to the offensive ineptitude, would prove to be the story of the game, as the Raiders scored 20 of their 30 points on drives that started outside their own 37.

Despite the struggles, though, don’t expect head coach Gary Kubiak to make any big changes on the offensive side of the ball.

“I think we have the guys, we just need to stay focused on what we’re doing,” the head coach explained to media. “I believe in our people, I believe in what we’re doing; it’s been good enough six times and not good enough three times. I stay focused on that, there’s a lot more football left to play, we just need to keep battling. That’s what I’m going to do, and they’re going to do.”

That belief in his people includes quarterback Trevor Siemian who—as you might expect—is catching the lion’s share of the blame from those outside the Broncos’ facility. Asked on Monday if he would consider switching things up and playing first-round pick Paxton Lynch, Kubiak was firm.

“No,” he said without hesitation. “I feel really good about what Trevor is doing but Trevor, like any other player, has to get better. We’re looking at it as a group; I have to do a better job for Trevor, [quarterbacks coach Gregg Knapp] and  [offensive coordinator Rick Dennison] do too. We can help Trevor by running the ball, but he’s making a lot of plays. He got us back in the game with a tremendous play to Jordan [Norwood]. He’s doing some good thing but, like all of us, we’re looking to be more consistent.”

“Consistency” was the operative word on Monday and inconsistency has been a theme for the Orange & Blue all season. Just when it seems they take a step forward—running the ball or otherwise—they have been quick to take two steps back, finding the gutter of their run struggles on Sunday as they amassed just 33 yards on the ground.

“We have to find some consistency is what we have to do,” Kubiak explained. “We ran 50 plays last night, averaged six yards a play, you would think that’s good when you look at football statistics, but the problem is there’s no consistency through the course of the game. I think in quarters one and three we ran 12 plays and had the ball for less than three of that 30-minute situation. It’s consistency, staying on the field.

“We just have to find a way to stay on the damn football field,” they head coach concluded. “They ran 80 plays, we ran 50 in the game, that doesn’t bode well for your football team.”

Not much of what the Broncos have done this season on the offensive side of the ball does bode well for a football team. Since starting the season with back to back big performances on the ground, Denver has failed to surpass 90 yards rushing in six out of the last seven weeks. If they are going to find any of that desired consistency—without making serious changes—the team has no choice but to start running the ball effectively.