The Denver Broncos offense is currently sitting at second to last in the entire league for third down conversion rate, barely edging out Washington with a measly 31.1 percent. This isn’t just a small dip, it’s a full-blown crisis when the rest of the NFL is converting at 40.6 percent, with teams like the Bengals leading the pack at 50.6 percent. Our boys in the Emerald City know what a real offense looks like, and this ain’t it.
Barely Ahead of Washington: The Ugly Truth
This season, the Broncos have converted just 28 of 90 third downs, not even counting any penalty conversions. Look, we all have bad days, but this is a pattern: at Kansas City, they were 2/12, against Jacksonville 4/10, then 7/13 against the Rams, 8/17 at San Francisco, 1/12 at the Chargers, 4/14 against *our very own Seahawks*, and 3/11 at Arizona. That’s two “good” games and five total stinkers. Even worse, over their last three wins, they’ve only converted eight of 37 opportunities, clocking in at a dismal 22 percent. You can’t sustain wins with that kind of production, no matter how much grit they show.
Third and What? Breaking Down the Bronco’s Downfall
It gets even more granular, and trust me, it doesn’t get prettier. While the Broncos’ offense is 14th in yards needed on third down at 6.9, their efficiency plummets depending on the distance. They’re tied for 16th on 3rd and short, needing 1-3 yards, converting 61.5 percent of the time. Okay, not great, not terrible. But then you get to 3rd and medium, needing 4-6 yards, and it’s a horror show. They’re tied for 31st, converting a “pathetic” 25.0 percent. Only the Falcons are worse at 21.7 percent. Meanwhile, the Bills are cruising at 64.7 percent in that same situation.
And if you thought *that* was bad, brace yourself. The Broncos are dead last in the league at converting on 3rd and long. They’ve only managed 13 of 63, or 20.6 percent. Buffalo, again, is converting those at a mind-boggling 46.7 percent, more than double the Broncos’ rate. Interestingly, they’ve had a 3rd and long conversion in every game except the one against the Cardinals. Four of their thirteen 3rd and long conversions came against the 49ers. The only other games where they had more than one conversion on 3rd and long were their wins over the Rams and, yep, the Seahawks. It sure looks like the Broncos can only convert 3rd and longs against the NFC West, with the exception of the Cardinals.
Historically, this is rough. Their 20.6 percent on 3rd and long through seven games this season is their worst performance this decade, barely edging out 2022’s 22.3 percent. They were at 35.8% in 2025, 30.4% in 2024, 28.6% in 2023, 28.1% in 2021, and 31.7% in 2020. This year is truly bottom of the barrel for them.
Defense is Doing Work, But How Does it Compare to Our Hawks?
Now, let’s flip the field to the Broncos’ defense. They’re currently tied for 21st, allowing 3rd down conversions at 42.1 percent. The Bears defense is holding strong at 26.1 percent, while the Cowboys are struggling, giving up 52.9 percent. Our Seahawk defense, on the other hand, *led the entire league last year* by only allowing 32.1 percent! That’s how you play defense in the Pacific Northwest. The Broncos’ defense did finish second last season at 33.8 percent, so they’ve taken a step back.
They are tied for the league lead in sacks with 21, which is impressive. But, three of those teams they’re tied with have only played six games. Still, the Broncos have a shot at leading the NFL in sacks for a third straight season, something no team has ever done. That’s a pretty big deal.
So, while the Broncos D is making some noise, their offense is clearly struggling to keep up. This kind of offensive inefficiency makes every single game a grind. They’ve got to figure out how to move the chains if they want to get anywhere this season. They need to find that spark, because right now, those third downs are killing them.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mile High Report.
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