For the Denver Broncos, who have lost six of their last seven games, things are going very rough.

Without a miracle, the Broncos will miss the playoffs for the third straight year, and there’s plenty of blame to go around for the team. Part of it has to do with the defense allowing massive yardage on the ground, part of it is due to coaching mistakes, and another bit can land on the shoulders of the offense.

Specifically, on the shoulders of new quarterback Case Keenum, who is the worst in the NFL when it comes to passing in the red zone.

This is a telling stat for multiple reasons. First and foremost, the Broncos offense has left a lot to be desired in terms of scoring. Denver is currently 19th in the NFL with 22.8 points per game scored.

Secondly, the Broncos are 17th in passing yards, with 2,254 on the season, but they’re gaining most of those between the 20s and not in the crucial red zone. While defenses are usually happy allowing dink and dunk passes between the 20s, it’s within the red zone where defenses stiffen up and allow less success against opponents.

That’s backed up by the fact that Denver currently has 37 20-plus yard passes which is sixth-best in the league, and their 10 40-plus yard passes is tied for third-most, enjoying much of that success when they’re not in the red zone. However, they’re not cashing in with needed touchdowns enough to compete.

Which is represented by Keenum’s inability to perform within the opposing team’s 20-yard line. Keenum currently has thrown a mere five touchdowns in the red zone, which is tied for third-worst among starters, and his three interceptions in the red zone are the worst in the NFL.

What can the Broncos do to help Keenum? They can run the ball more, definitely, and look to find more balance there. Denver’s 5.2 rushing yards per attempt are second-best in the league.

And by running the ball more, it will assist Keenum because that plan of attack sets up the play-action passing game, where Keenum excels.

https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/1062477866342838272

We actually wrote about how the play-action passing game helps Keenum way back in early October, and the stats have been floating around since then, too. So, either Bill Musgrave, who calls the plays for the offense, hasn’t seen the stats or he simply doesn’t want to run more play-action.

Which is confounding considering the Broncos need to do anything they can to enjoy a more potent scoring offense.

Again, part of the blame for the offense’s struggles have to fall on Keenum’s shoulders, but part of it also needs to find its way back to Musgrave, whose play-calling has been awful at times in terms of fitting the offense to his personnel.