Broncos face major issue on defense that Bills' Josh Allen can easily take advantage of

Matt Sullivan

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Broncos face major issue on defense that Bills' Josh Allen can easily take advantage of image

The Denver Broncos are welcoming the Buffalo Bills to Denver for the NFL Divisional round of the playoffs, as they begin their quest to make it back to the Super Bowl.

But the Bills are far from an easy draw, as Josh Allen and that Bills offense can be deadly. Fortunately, they lack a true number 1 wide receiver, putting a lot of the onus on Allen and running back James Cook III.

Despite the advantage with their defense, there is one major issue Denver's defense is facing that Allen and the Bills can easily take advantage of. As Kevin Seifert of ESPN notes, the Broncos' defense is the worst in the NFL when it comes to DPI this season.

Broncos' defense has major issue that Josh Allen can take advantage of

"The Broncos were flagged for an NFL-high 20 defensive pass interference penalties this season," Seifert writes, "including eight by CB Riley Moss. Their aggressive nature helps in many instances, but it cost them 350 yards in the regular season."

The Broncos' defense averages over one defensive pass interference penalty per game, and against Allen and the Bills' lackluster wide receiver room, a DPI that moves the ball down the field could be the difference between a win and a loss.

This is a major issue for the Broncos' defense, and might spell their doom in the AFC Divisional round against the Bills.

With a speedy receiver in Brandin Cooks, a shifty receiver in Khalil Shakir, and a big-bodied receiver in Keon Coleman, the Bills offense can present different looks for the Broncos defense all game long.

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And all three of those receivers, plus a tight-end duo in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, the Broncos defense doesn't have a clear number 1 they can shut down, meaning Patrick Surtain can be avoided.

That is already an issue on its own, but compounded with Riley Moss having the most DPIs in the NFL this season, this could become a major issue Saturday afternoon.

The Broncos' defense needs to play more carefully against the Bills; the DPI penalties they've been burned by this season might hand the Bills the playoff victory.

If there were ever a time to limit penalties, especially back-breakers like DPIs, it's now. Sean Payton and Vance Joseph need their defense to hold the Bills' offense down and not commit DPIs at the same pace that they did in the regular season.

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Senior Editor