Coaching or Execution? Scangarello Addresses Broncos' Slow Second-Half Starts Offensively

Two weeks in a row, the Denver Broncos got off to a hot start offensively, only to see their momentum fizzle in the second half. Against both the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4 and L.A. Chargers in Week 5, the Broncos put 17 first-half points on the board, cruising to a multi-score lead heading into halftime.

Something about coming back out onto the field after the break has thrown this offense off, though. Denver's inability to move the ball in consecutive third quarters led to the team relinquishing an 11-point lead and ultimately a loss in Week 4 and it allowed the Chargers to hang around and fight back into the game in the fourth quarter the following week.

It's always something for the Broncos, though, as to open this year, the offense opened each game cold, failing to get into a groove until the second half. Finally, the unit breaks the bad ju-ju and starts hot in consecutive weeks, only to go into a shell in the second half.

So what gives?

“I don’t want to make too much of it, but it’s something that has to be addressed," offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said on Thursday ahead of Week 6. "It’s something that we want to get better at, and we want to have a fast start coming out of the locker room so we can put the pressure on our opponents from here on out.”

Perhaps we should chalk up some of the Broncos' inconsistencies to a first-time NFL play-caller trying to find his groove. Ever an acolyte of the Shanahan School of Thought, Scangarello's script of plays to open the last couple of games has been impressive.

He'll script anywhere from the first 12 plays to the first 20. The Broncos practice repping those 12-20 plays, which allows the offense to play more confidently to open games.

Understandably, it's harder to create a script coming out of halftime because opponents adjust in-game and without a crystal ball, there's no way to perfectly anticipate how an opponent will react. Scripting the first possession of the third quarter is easier said than done and presents some obstacles but perhaps Scangarello can find the inspiration needed to start hotter in the third quarter by examining what worked from the first-quarter script.

“It’s something that evolves over the course of the week," Scangarello said regarding his first-quarter scripts. "It’s just something that—you’ve been around some guys and then I have my own way of doing it. As you put a plan together, you kind of have a vision for how it will play out and then how you script it in practice you hope to see during the game. You kind of piece it together over a four or five-day process so that when you get to Friday it’s all come together and you pretty much have a real solid foundation for the stuff you want to do to kind of put the defense on their heels or get after them on a fast start.”

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To be clear, Scangarello does put together a "small" script for the third quarter, but clearly, he could improve upon it. A lot can be laid at the feet of the players, too, as execution has been sloppy in the second half over the last two games.

"The first play in the second half was like a 25-yard run against the Chargers and we were down in the high red [zone]," Scangarello said. "Then I think we had a penalty that set us back behind the chains and then the rest is what it is. There were a couple unfortunate three-and-outs the week before because of mental assignments I thought on third down. That’s part of the game. Sometimes it can happen at any time, but it’s something that we’ve talked about."

The encouraging thing is that at least the Broncos are starting off strong offensively, which plays better to the model for success the team has established. Getting out to an early lead plays into the hands of Vic Fangio's defense, which forces opponents to go away from their game-plan slightly in an effort to catch up.

That's where a guy like Von Miller can eat and wreak havoc, which, like last week in L.A., often leads to chaos, which leads to takeaways. So, in a perfect world, you'd like to see the Broncos offense play consistently well through all four quarters.

But if you had to pick one, perhaps starting out fast and fizzling in the third quarter is the lesser of two evils, as opposed to starting off slow and playing catchup the entire game.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.