5 reasons the Denver Broncos won’t make the playoffs

4. The defense has slipped

The Denver Broncos defense of 2015 was arguably one of the best in NFL history. They finished first in the league in total defense, first in pass defense, first in sacks and third in run defense. They rode that defense all the way to a Super Bowl victory, despite dubious quarterback play. Many faces returned this year, but the 2016 variation of the Broncos defense just isn’t as good.

Denver lost defensive lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Danny Trevathan in the offseason. Todd Davis has stepped in adequately for Trevathan, but the Broncos really miss Jackson’s presence. Jared Crick has failed to replace Malik Jackson and currently ranks out 114th out of 119 interior defensive linemen according to Pro Football Focus. PFF also ranks starting cornerback Bradley Roby as the 110th cornerback in the league out of 117 qualifiers. Roby and nose tackle Sylvester Williams haven’t played well in contract years, and their level of play has fallen from a season ago.

The Oakland Raiders 30-20 victory over Denver on Sunday Night Football demonstrated the vaunted defenses weaknesses. The Raiders offensive line bullied the Broncos defensive line and small linebackers as Oakland ran for 218 yards on the ground. Roby was consistently and successfully targeted in the passing game and his pass interference set up the Raiders second touchdown. The Broncos did lose linebacker Brandon Marshall and defensive lineman Derek Wolfe for portions of the Raiders game, and that didn’t help. Marshall and Aqib Talib are day-to-day going forward, and it’s unclear how much time Wolfe will miss. But healthy or not healthy, there are real ways to successfully attack the Broncos defense. And given the standard they set last year, that counts as regression for the unit.