Anytime you give up nearly 500 yards through the air, there are going to be a lot of dirty hands. In the case of the Denver Broncos' coverage debacle against the Cleveland Browns in Week 13, the primary culprits were cornerback Levi Wallace and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Wallace took it upon himself to say that his performance against the Browns was the worst game of his football career, but defensive coordinator Vance Joseph wouldn't let his player to be the one to fall on the sword.
Joseph said that if Wallace had a bad game, it's because he called a bad game...
Broncos DC Vance Joseph answers for brutal performance vs. Browns
Vance Joseph can say whatever he wants here. The fact of the matter is, Wallace was getting picked on the entire game and the Broncos eventually realized that he was a primary reason for the defense giving up one big play after another play, evidenced by the fact that he was benched late in the game for Kris Abrams-Draine.
Looking ahead to the team's matchup on Sunday afternoon against the Colts, Riley Moss feels unlikely to return to the field after a knee injury suffered against the Raiders a few weeks ago. With Moss potentially sidelined again this week, it would almost be shocking if it wasn't Abrams-Draine out there with the starting defense.
The Broncos have made it a theme this season to incorporate their youth into the mix in every phase of the game, and Abrams-Draine would be the latest to be thrown into the mix.
Despite the fact that Wallace played extremely poorly, there's no doubt that Vance Joseph had to answer for the defense's consistent breakdowns against the Browns' passing attack. The decision not to float Pat Surtain II wherever Jerry Jeudy was lining up ended up being a mistake that nearly derailed the team's overall mission.
The Broncos' defense should have been in a great position as soon as the team took an 11-point lead against the Browns, which actually happened twice. Yet the Browns were able to easily move the ball down the field and stay in the game. To the defense's credit, they also had a pair of pick-sixes and made some huge plays throughout the course of the game. It wasn't all bad, but lapses like we saw against Cleveland cannot happen against any of the Broncos' next four opponents.
Even without Riley Moss in the mix for as long as he needs to heal up properly, the Broncos have to find a way to get back on track. Vance Joseph has to be on top of his game.
