The Broncos have outscored opponents by 23 points in the first quarter this year, the sixth-best plus differential in the NFL.
At first blush, that would debunk Broncos coach Vance Joseph’s mantra over the past week that his team must start games faster to claw their way out of a 3-6 hole.
“Offensively, we have to obviously start faster and score more points early,” Joseph said.
Heck, the Broncos have already scored more opening-drive points in nine games this season (17) than all of last year (16).
But when your team is in a 1-6 funk, the next two opponents (Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh) have current win streaks of six and five games, respectively, and your players’ want-to level doesn’t merit criticizing, some kind of straw needs to be grasped.