Time for Broncos to embrace the tank, win fewest games possible

The 2023 Denver Broncos should embrace one of the ugliest words in sports, as it’s time to tank.

This season isn’t going anywhere. Not after yet another embarrassing home loss to the Jets on Sunday. Not only did former head coach Nathaniel Hackett get his revenge, the Broncos are once again a national punchline, being blasted on every show and every network.

That’s what happens when Sean Payton crushed Hackett this summer, and the comments have blown up in his face. If Hackett did one of the worst coaching jobs in NFL history, what’s this so far from Payton and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph?

The 31-21 victory by New York was littered with poor offense, defense and special teams and at 1-4 we’re already thinking about Denver’s draft position next April.

How did the loss go down and what were the biggest takeaways? Let’s dive into it with our fifth edition of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of 2023.

The Good

Jaleel McLaughlin is fun to watch. The undrafted rookie running back scored a beautiful touchdown to give Denver an early 7-3 lead, deflecting a pass to himself then showing off those wheels to find the end zone.

That was a receiving touchdown, but McLaughlin also had his way on the ground. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry and looks like Denver’s most dynamic back. Javonte Williams is still a good player, but he hasn’t flashed the explosiveness and power that made him so dangerous from before he shredded his knee. He missed Sunday’s game, and McLaughlin took advantage.

Outside of him, there wasn’t much to like. Russell Wilson and the offense were horrendous for most of the second half, registering negative net-yardage on four of their first five drives and then fumbling with the game on the line. More on that in a moment.

So, for now, McLaughlin is in the good category pretty much by himself. Outside of an excellent Pat Surtain II interception late, there wasn’t a lot to get excited about. It shows you just how poor this roster is from top to bottom, as a full rebuild needs to finally happen.

The Bad

This defense can’t stop anyone. Every week folks talk themselves into the Broncos playing a “bad” quarterback and should have a good outing. Zach Wilson didn’t tear them up like Justin Fields, but he also did well managing the game. Again, besides the ill-advised throw in Surtain’s direction late, he was fine.

But the rushing defense once again got gashed. Breece Hall went off for 177 yards on the ground and averaged 8.0 yards per carry. His 72-yard touchdown scamper where he basically went untouched sucked the air out of Empower Field at Mile High. From that moment on, it felt like the Broncos were going to lose.

Overall, the Jets rushed for 234 yards on 32 attempts, or 7.3 yards per run. If a team can do that, they’re going to win almost every single time out. Or in Denver’s case, if they’re going to allow that kind of production, they’ll lose way more often than not.

Joseph’s seat continues to get toastier, perhaps saved by the fact the Broncos have a short week, playing on Thursday night in Kansas City. If Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Chiefs light up the scoreboard, it’s probably time for Payton to make a change. The mini-bye is a logical time to do it.

The Ugly

The Broncos put the ball on the turf way too often against the Jets. Rookie Marvin Mims Jr. had a fumble on a punt return where he needed to call for a fair catch. Mims was also involved in a gadget play gone horribly wrong, as he and running back Samaje Perine fumbled on a bad pitch exchange.

And then Wilson’s fumble in the final seconds was a potential defining image of another season since Super Bowl 50 gone horribly wrong. The scoop and score for New York while Wilson laid helplessly on the ground about summed it up. It was a tough moment for Broncos Country.

It’s time for this team to tank. Ultimately, beating the Bears hurts, but it doesn’t mean they can’t still get the No. 1 overall pick. Head-to-head is not a draft order tiebreaker (it’s strength of schedule), so Chicago’s win over Washington means the two teams are on even footing once again.

Those pesky Panthers do sit at 0-5, but they still play the Texans, Bears, Titans, Buccaneers (twice), Falcons and Packers. It’s not out of the realm of possibility they could win three of those seven games and get to 3-14. That means Denver can only “afford” to win once more to assure a shot at USC star QB Caleb Williams with the top selection.

It’s not fun to be talking about this, but it’s the reality the Broncos are in. It’s time to trade anyone who can fetch a draft pick and watch the losses stack up. That means moving on from Justin Simmons, Garett Bolles, Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, DJ Jones, Frank Clark and yes Surtain between now and the Halloween deadline.

It could ultimately be a good thing, as Payton would be stacked with draft picks next spring while watching his team also earn the very first one.

It’s time to tank, as 2-15 could be the start of a beautiful rebuild.

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