The Denver Broncos’ offense has been an enigma this season. While Denver’s defense has resulted in the most attention this season after its historically poor start to the season to evolving into one of the NFL leader in takeaways, the offense has done just enough to draw complaints from the tougher critics and praise from those enjoying the competency displayed in comparison to 2022.
Russell Wilson is playing exponentially better football this season, the Broncos’ offensive line appears to be a strength, and Sean Payton has the team going in the right direction. But are the Broncos actually good on offense? reality of Denver’s 2023 offense through Week 12 is that the unit is squarely middle-of-the-pack in comparison to its league counterparts. Denver ranks 16th in EPA/Play at -0.019 and 17th in Success Rate at 42.6%.
Even when splitting offense and rushing EPA/Play, Denver is average for both, ranking 15th in each category. It’s worth reiterating what a departure this is from last season’s output, where the Broncos’ offense ranked bottom five and bottom 10 in most major statistical categories, but under the offensive mastermind Payton and Wilson, Denver has simply been okay.
The Broncos have found a formula that works as a team, combining a physical ball-control offense with a defense driven by takeaways, but the reality is that this team will need more from its offense going forward to continue its winning streak and catapult itself from a 1-5 start all the way to the NFL playoffs.
Since the Broncos’ winning streak began in Week 7, the offense has been afforded the best average starting field in the NFL, beginning drives at their own 37-yard line. The offense’s EPA/Play has ranked a fine 13th in the NFL over that time period at 0.00, but the team’s offensive success rate ranks 24th in the NFL at 41.25% and explosive play rate at just 7.81%.
