Kiszla: Dominant Broncos defense? Please, don’t make us laugh. Denver needs new calling card. And maybe a new coach.

CLEVELAND — If a nasty, ascendant defence is manager Vic Fangio’s calling card, the Broncos mightiness request a caller paper printed. And possibly a caller coach.

After a 17-14 nonaccomplishment to Cleveland present Thursday night, determination was Fangio, wearing his Wile E Coyote face. You cognize the look: The cartoonish bewilderment of a quality stuck successful a escaped fall, without a hint of however to apprehension the catastrophe, different than to clasp up a motion that begs: “In heaven’s name, what americium I doing?”

Yes, erstwhile an NFL squad surrenders 17 points, it should find a mode to win. But adjacent Fangio admitted connected this bittersweet night: “We didn’t play bully defense.”

The existent crying shame wasn’t that the Broncos mislaid for a fourth-straight clip to driblet their grounds to 3-4. The large bummer is they mislaid to backmost Case Keenum, a bum who was tally retired of our dusty aged cowtown.

And possibly the biggest insult: With Cleveland missing its apical 2 moving backs, some injured, the Denver defence was bedraggled for 182 yards rushing and made D’Ernest Johnson look similar Jim Brown.

OK, the problems of a squad that’s gone implicit the brink and is plummeting toward the bottommost of the AFC West spell beyond defense. I’m not definite if the Broncos could people 30 points successful a crippled if they changed conferences and joined the Mountain West.

If you sneaked a peek astatine the violative publication of Pat Shurmur, would it look similar crayon doodles connected a napkin? As champion I tin ascertain, here’s his basal scheme: Get stuffed connected a tally left, plow into the close broadside of the line, propulsion 3 yards abbreviated of the first-down stick, punt. In the 96 hours betwixt Denver’s nonaccomplishment to Las Vegas and their quality connected “Thursday Night Football,” what did Shurmur bash with the different 95 hours and 45 minutes?

Prior to halftime, the Broncos produced 2 archetypal downs, 76 full yards and zero points.

Shortly aft Teddy Bridgewater carelessly heaved an interception into the extremity portion connected the opening drawback of the 2nd quarter, Drew Lock picked up a shot and began loosening his close limb adjacent the Denver bench. He snapped connected his helmet, stretched his quads and enthusiastically wagged his process similar a puppy dog. Not to suggest Denver’s young, back-up backmost was hopeless to get the coaches’ attention, but nary jock has warmed up much dramatically than Lock since Jack Black successful “Nacho Libre.”

Lock ne'er got disconnected the sideline. Campaign for a alteration astatine QB if it makes you consciousness better. But it appears the Broncos are going to unrecorded and dice with Teddy B. “He’s our quarterback,” Fangio said.

Although dilatory to vigor up, Bridgewater did yet marque the Browns sweat connected 1 of those gray, somber October nights successful the Midwest that announces it’s going to beryllium dark, acold and depressing until astatine slightest Groundhog Day.

Bridgewater marched the Broncos connected a 13-play, 79-yard touchdown drive, with the last 8 yards a walk to moving backmost Melvin Gordon, connected Denver’s archetypal possession of the 2nd half.

Give Bridgewater his due. Although not flashy, helium doesn’t panic.

With the Broncos trailing by 10 points entering the 4th quarter, helium was down the instrumentality for different dilatory roll. A 17-play touchdown drive, with a surface walk to Javonte Williams covering the last 10 yards to the extremity zone, pulled Denver wrong 17-14 with 5 minutes, 17 seconds remaining successful the last period.

At that point, a championship-caliber defence would’ve stuffed the Browns and fixed Bridgewater a accidental to bargain a triumph connected the road.

Instead, the Denver defenders rolled implicit and fto Johnson, who finished with a career-high 146 yards connected the ground, hitch his cleats connected them, portion the Browns chewed up what remained of the crippled clock.

The Fangio Watch has officially begun. How agelong does wide manager George Paton instrumentality with a manager that helium didn’t hire?

You privation to consciousness similar a winner? Go walk your hard-earned wealth to spell ticker Nikola Jokic, the NBA’s reigning MVP, and the Nuggets successful Ball Arena.

Denver is simply a hoops town.

The Broncos are simply marking clip until they get a caller owner, caller manager and caller quarterback.