Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has not been having the time of his life this year. Denver has given up an NFL-high 181 points through five games, and it doesn’t get any easier with a trip to Kansas City on Thursday night.
Joseph acknowledged that the start to this season has been particularly difficult, but he said he saw signs of progress last week against the Jets, even as he acknowledged that a few big plays -- including Breece Hall’s 72-yard touchdown run -- were unacceptable.
“It’s been frustrating. It hasn’t been fun, but my focus is improving weekly,” he said. “It’s been bizarre, a little bit. But I get it, it’s the league. It’s a hard league. But no one’s blinking. Everyone’s working. And I’m working to fix it. And I thought last week it was closer, outside four or five plays. We can’t have those plays. That’s not NFL football. You can’t run through the defense for 70 yards untouched. I’m not used to that. I’m unfamiliar with that. Yes, I’m pissed off about that. Absolutely I am. But I’m not broken. I’m working to get it fixed, but I’m not happy about that.”
Joseph said his defense is in “a race to improve every week.” If the Broncos don’t improve soon, Joseph himself would have to be viewed as on the hot seat, as this Broncos team has been perhaps the most disappointing team in the league in 2023.