Fangio Points to Broncos' League-Worst Turnover Differential as Culprit for Sub-.500 Season

What has held the Broncos back from being a winning club this year? Aside from injuries, Vic Fangio pointed to a pair of culprits.

Double-digit defeats and a fourth straight losing season tells Broncos Country all it needs to know about the deep-rooted issues that haunt its franchise. The week-to-week misfires and same old issues have made it a particularly frustrating season for fans, and with the Denver Broncos heading into Week 17 as home underdogs against the Las Vegas Raiders, dropping an 11th loss seems entirely realistic.

On Tuesday, head coach Vic Fangio opened the floodgates on the post-mortem of the 2020 campaign, which is likely to last right through the summer. Safe in the knowledge that he will return for his third season, he pointed to the Broncos' minus-20 turnover margin, the worst in the NFL, as being a crucial factor to his team's lack of success.

“Well, it’s twofold. One, we have turned it over too much,” Fangio explained. “Then two, we haven’t gotten it enough. Sometimes when you get out of whack that way, it’s one side or the other being the major culprit, but it’s been a team problem this year on both sides of the ball and obviously we have to rectify it."

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A major injury before the season started deprived the Broncos defense of its great defensive disrupter Von Miller for the year, which resulted in less big plays, sacks, and hurries on opposing quarterbacks. Once the injury curse transferred to the cornerback room, the ability to remain aggressive quickly gave way to survival in the red zone.

"One is we have to protect it better on offense, that’s for sure, and then we have to find a way to get the ball out, get some interceptions, be a little more disruptive on defense to allow us to get them," Fangio said. 

Fangio made reference to the limitations the corners have had in making big plays to help out the defense all season long.

“Obviously, it’s been a problem for us,” Fangio conceded. “The corners just have to accept the responsibility of the difficulty of the job of playing corner of the NFL—to not be afraid to play tight, play aggressive, play smart, and not worried so much about giving up the big one all the time.”

Bryce Callahan was having a Pro Bowl season until he succumbed to his bothersome foot injury, but trade acquisition A.J. Bouye has been a disappointment and could be jettisoned during the offseason in the wake of his six-game PED suspension. The young depth behind the starters was wiped out by a dramatic run of season-ending injuries that left the Broncos woefully thin at corner and limping from one week to the next.

Expect the Broncos to be setting their sights on the draft to add some vital youth and depth to the cornerback room as the team continues its rebuild. Rookie corner Michael Ojemudia was thrown into the mix significantly during 2020 and Fangio knows how difficult it’s been for the 23-year-old to learn on the hoof with a limited training camp schedule.

“I think Michael has grown as the season has gone on,” Fangio said. “He’s had a tough season there in that he missed a good bit of training camp and then got thrown into the fire there. He had his ups and downs like a lot of rookie cornerbacks do, but I see improvements. I see a good mindset and I see a good player moving forward.”

Drew Lock’s 15 interceptions will also need to be reduced significantly if the Broncos are to swing the turnover differential back their way. For as much as Year 2 of the Fangio defensive scheme has made some progress, it's clear that without those game-changing turnovers, and the players who can create them, wins aren't likely to come easy in 2021 either.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.