Denver Broncos: Scoring Trends in the Vic Fangio Era

After starting the 2021 NFL season 3-0, Vic Fangio and the Denver Broncos have come back down to earth. Since then, people would argue they have seen the team they would expect from Fangio.

BetMGM’s latest NFL odds have the Broncos far behind every other team in the AFC West to win that division at +1700.

One reason is that the Broncos are viewed to have an inferior offense compared to division rivals.

Is that true, and has that been a problem outside of this year? Here’s a look at Denver’s history under Fangio.

Carousel of Quarterbacks

One notable thing about the Fangio era in Denver is that he has not had a consistent starting quarterback. In 2019, veteran QB Joe Flacco started the season, trying to revitalize his career.

However, rookie Drew Lock eventually got the job and held onto it until the end of 2020. But, the organization didn’t believe that he was the right guy for the job, and current quarterback Teddy Bridgewater ended up getting the nod over him after this year’s training camp.

In total, there have been seven different quarterbacks that have started a game under Fangio in just two and a half seasons. On top of that, even WR Kendall Hinton started at QB in one game in 2020 when other QBs were on the COVID list.

When looking at the stats, you can argue that the best of those QBs has been Teddy Bridgewater.

Why? Because he is already about to pass Lock’s touchdown passes from last year, and he throws fewer interceptions. In 2020, Drew Lock had 16 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions.

Slowly Improving Offense

Denver’s offense is certainly not the best in the NFL, but under Fangio, it has improved over the last few years.

In 2019, the Broncos ranked 28th in the NFL in points per game (17.6). That same year, they also ranked 28th in total yards per game (298.6).

Things got a little better in 2020, but the Broncos were still in the bottom half in the league in both categories. Denver ranked 28th again in points per game but increased their average to 20.2 points. Total yards saw a more notable jump, moving them up to 23rd with 335.6 yards per game.

The 2021 season still has to play out, but halfway through, the Broncos are putting themselves in a position to improve on these numbers again. They’re currently 24th in points scored per game at 19.6. They’re also 16th in total yards. Their problem this year isn’t that they can’t move the ball, but instead that they can’t finish drives.

Scoring Trends Under Vic Fangio

The Broncos do not have a great overall record under Fangio, with a 12-20 record in his first two seasons. However, they have an over .500 record against the spread in his tenure.

In 2021, the secret for the Broncos tends to be finding a way to score over 20 points. When they do this, they are 3-1, and when not, they are 1-3.

Will Denver Score More?

Heading into Week 9, a legitimate question for this Broncos team is if they can put up any points. Can Vic Fangio and the Broncos improve in this category?

You can place your bets on the Denver offense here at BetMGM.

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