Denver Broncos Defense Still Too Generous and Lacking Discipline

Against the second string offense of the Minnesota Vikings, the Denver Broncos were jumpy at the line of scrimmage from the get go—jumping offside’s on the very first play. 

Fortunately for the Broncos,  the Vikings went three and out following the opening series as Tavaris Jackson (better known as Brett Favre's backup) threw three good balls only to have two of them dropped and another land just out of reach. 

The second series wasn’t much better for the Vikings because of its similarity to the first with missed passes killing the drive.

Credit the Broncos offense for winning the battle for time of possession handedly at 35:50 to the Vikings 24:10.

Following the Broncos touchdown behind LenDale White at the 6:08 mark of the first quarter Tavaris Jackson went three and out again nearly throwing a pick to SydQuan Thompson.

Then on Tim Tebows first play from scrimmage the Broncos began their turnover extravaganza on a fumbled snap, this one resulted in the Vikings first touchdown of the game and a tie score.  Then Tim Tebow threw an interception on the ensuing drive.

The Broncos defense showed a lack of discipline again by jumping offside and giving the Vikings a first down deep in Denver territory.  It could have been worse, but the Vikings settled for a field goal.

It’s specifically these sorts of breaking points the Broncos have to correct on offense and defense during the regular season, or they will fall victim to themselves more often than not.

The Broncos then made their fourth turnover before halftime deep in their own territory putting the defense on their heels once again.  Then the Broncos were flagged for Jarvis Moss getting off the field late.  During the next play the Vikings cashed in for the touchdown which gave them a 17-7 advantage, and Denver was chasing the lead the rest of the night.

The thing that makes this difficult here is that the Broncos defense had played very well, but the lack of discipline compounded the offensive turnovers. 

It’s a lethal combination that worked quickly against the Broncos.  It looked like the Vikings were dominating the game on the scoreboard while the Broncos were actually just shooting themselves in the foot.  The Vikings only amassed 42 total yards in the first half to solidify the point.

The biggest play that worked as a back-breaker in the game was when Vikings fourth string quarterback Joe Webb escaped the pocket and ran 41 yards to breakdown the Broncos defense.  That eventually led to another Vikings touchdown.

The Broncos gave up a total of 91 additional yards on the ground by game's end and 112 through the air.

The Broncos lost 31-24 in the most meaningless game of the preseason, however it brings to mind that there were issues protecting the ball and defending the cause. 

They  probably worked harder than the Vikings in the game, and yet they  hurt themselves time and time again with their lack of discipline.  All told, the Broncos were far too generous even with the low yardage output they gave up against the Vikings.

Ready or not here comes the regular season.

The Broncos play at Jacksonville a week from Sunday at 11am MDT.

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