Fangio Reveals the Three Areas he Wants the Broncos Defense to Improve

All things considered, the Denver Broncos have been solid on defense. We're talking about a unit that's yet to see one of its prized free-agent signings — cornerback Bryce Callahan — debut on the field, while Pro Bowl-caliber edge rusher Bradley Chubb was lost for the season in Week 4.

Vic Fangio's defense has rolled with the punches and hung in there, mostly due to the emergence of players like linebacker Alexander Johnson, cornerback Davontae Harris and even third-year former second-round pick DeMarcus Walker.

The Broncos currently sit as the No. 4 overall passing defense, relinquishing an average of just 202.1 yards per game through the air. That statistic is even more impressive when you realize that the Broncos are playing their No. 5 cornerback at No. 2 opposite of Chris Harris, Jr.

Against the run, however, the Broncos need to improve as the defense currently ranks 17th in the NFL, allowing 107.6 yards per game on the ground. The way Coach Fangio sees it, better tackling will help the Broncos improve that metric.

In fact, as the Broncos headed into the bye on Monday, Fangio touched on three areas he'd like to see the defense improve.

“We just need to, I believe, cover a little bit better at times in one-on-one coverage situations," Fangio said. "We didn’t have a good day yesterday in the secondary of tackling their receivers mainly after they caught the ball. That’s been unlike us for the most part. I’d like to see a little bit more pass rush. Those are some of the things.”

When it comes to one-on-one coverage, the easiest way to see what Fangio means is to think back to the Broncos' Week 9 matchup vs. the Browns, or even vs. the Indianapolis Colts the week before. Chris Harris, Jr. has done a great job of locking down his assignment all game long for the most part, but there has been the unhappy and inconvenient pattern of allowing that one big play to connect, usually late in the game.

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As for the tackling issue, look no further than the missed tackle Davontae Harris had in Week 9 that allowed WR Jarvis Landry to score the Browns' only touchdown of the day.

From a pass rush perspective, Fangio's push for more is pretty obvious. The Broncos only have 19 sacks on the season, which is good for No. 23 in the NFL. Von Miller has just four on the season, while Derek Wolfe leads the team with five QB takedowns.

DeMarcus Walker's emergence has been something to write home about finally. Although he missed last week's game, Walker has been one of Fangio's pleasant surprises having totaled four sacks through the first half of the season.

One evident improvement under the Fangio regime has been the development of young players, which we didn't see when Vance Joseph was here for two years. That fact should give fans hope that it's only a matter of time before Fangio's coaching gets this ship turned around.

The two areas the Broncos are absolutely killing it defensively are on third-down (ranked No. 7) and red zone efficiency (ranked No. 2). That proficiency in two critical areas has allowed an offensively impotent Broncos team to hang with better, more balanced opponents, with the exception of the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.

Fangio wants to see better one-on-one coverage, improved tackling and a better pash rush. The Broncos have the bye to iron out the kinks on whatever's holding back those three areas.

We'll see how this defense looks in Week 11 when the Broncos have to travel to take on the formidable Minnesota Vikings, and Gary Kubiak.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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