Denver's spiraling offense remains an easy and obvious target for fans and analysts alike, but Sunday's crash-and-burn against the Eagles had plenty to do with the team's typically stalwart defense.
Quarterback Carson Wentz and his Philly teammates lashed the Broncos by land and through the air in a 51-23 beat down, a game that left Denver reeling at 3-5 and veteran cornerback Chris Harris to wonder if the season could sink any lower.
"It is rock bottom. If we don't make the playoffs, that's the worst you can get," Harris said. "We can't afford to let anything else slide. Especially in our division. We gotta figure out something fast."
Said Harris: "[We're] just not good right now. Just gotta look at yourself in the mirror to see what you can do to get better. Trying to figure out how to make plays. When you're not good and you are losing and a team puts 50 on you. You gotta figure something out."
Denver figured nothing out on Sunday, as they allowed Wentz to splinter the secondary with aggressive downfield throws before unleashing his stable of backs -- Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement and LeGarrette Blount -- for 190 yards on the day.
Much of that rushing yardage came in the second half, when the Broncos knew what was coming from an Eagles attack looking to wind down the clock. Even more concerning, though, was seeing Wentz masterfully draw the defense offsides with next-level, pre-snap cadence that played a part in Denver amassing an outrageous 14 penalties.
Still, this defense has been brilliant for much of the campaign, doing its best to prop up a dead-on-arrival offense that sputtered horribly Sunday with Brock Osweiler under center.
Instead of a hopeful light in the distance, though, the flailing Broncos are now teed up to face the surging New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. It's possible "rock bottom" has yet to be achieved.
