Evans: The Broncos offense is stuck going nowhere

OK, so about that master plan …

You know the one I’m talking about. The zone running game will flummox opponents and tailor-made running backs like C.J. Anderson, who excel in the one-cut and head downhill, will rumble for 1,500 yards.

Defenses will be so fixated on this powerful run game it will open a bounty of play action fakes and bootlegs that will find receivers like Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders running joyfully and free downfield, hauling in long, back-breaking touchdown passes.

Ah, it will be glorious.

Yeah … About that …

Currently the Denver Broncos offense is firing blanks. The running game is stuck right in the middle of the NFL, mired in a four-game streak of sub-100 yard outputs (52, 89, 84, and 84 yards).

The offensive line is coming off a dreadful game against San Diego where it committed nine penalties — with each lineman getting at least one.

Then there was the quarterback play. Trevor Siemian went 30-50 against the Chargers. And 41 of his 50 passes were for less than 10 yards.

He threw nine passes over 10 yards and completed just one. To put that into context, Siemian is only the second quarterback in the last 10 years to throw 50 passes in a game and complete just one longer than 10 yards — that was Jason Campbell in 2013.

Before that game, Siemian had been 20-28 on passes over 10 yards, and his 71 percent completions had been best in the NFL.

So, what’s happening here?

First, Siemian wasn’t healthy against San Diego. That he even played tells all the Paxton Lynch loyalists out there how the Broncos feel right now about their hero.

Siemian gutted it out, but you could tell he was not himself throwing the football. Add to that teams aren’t respecting the Broncos running game, and they’re packing the defense 15 yards and less from the line of scrimmage while playing two safeties deep. There’s simply no room for this Broncos offense to get going. They’re getting stifled.

So, how do you fix it?

Head coach Gary Kubiak has to admit his offense isn’t working right now.

Huddling up after every play, strolling to the line of scrimmage, and playing with the quarterback under center with his back turned to the defense for a time isn’t producing results. Kubiak needs to suck up his pride and ego and admit maybe Peyton Manning was right all along in this eternal battle between what kind of offense is best to play.

This offense needs to get into a rhythm. They need some flow. Some energy.

I’d like to see more shotgun. More up tempo. More no huddle.

It’s time to come up with something different with the Broncos offense because the old way isn’t working.