Even as the Broncos barrel their way through a second straight losing season under Vic Fangio, I’ve never once thought he should get the axe. I’m happy to debate the locker room, clock management, offense, and every other issue that cropped up. I won’t give a whole lot of thought to any complaints about the Broncos’ defense.
In 2019 the Broncos defense lost Bradley Chubb, Kareem Jackson, and Derek Wolfe while they rotated a number of corners opposite Chris Harris Jr. This year Von Miller didn’t play a snap. Jurrell Casey and Mike Purcell were lost for the year. As I write this Michael Ojemudia is the lone survivor from the original corner depth chart. What really stands out to me is how even through all the losses, the Broncos defense has been the clear backbone of the roster in part because they’ve performed heroically in the redzone. In 2019 the Broncos allowed opponents to score touchdowns just 39% of the time. Without Miller they allowed a whopping 47% through 16 games this season, but they’re the only team to prevent a touchdown more than half the time.