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The Denver Broncos are one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the lead in the AFC West with four games remaining. Denver’s turnaround on defense has been the main reason for the team’s stunning resurgence, and now fans are apologizing to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph after calling for his job earlier in the season.
“Vance Joseph deserves his flowers too. After 99% of #BroncosCountry wanted him GONE! And yes… I was included in that percentage too,” a commenter posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Another fan complimented the coaching staff for winning the Broncos’ Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, saying it was the kind of game the team had typically lost in recent years.
“After sleeping on it, I think the reason the coaching staff impressed me most yesterday is that none of the Broncos flaws were necessarily answered… but in the past that’d be enough for Denver to drop a game like this. Sean Payton and Vance Joseph made dang sure they didn’t,” the fan stated on X.
Joseph’s defense held the Chargers to 0-for-12 on third-down opportunities while registering 6 sacks. Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert was just 9-of-17 passing for 96 yards and an interception before exiting the game with a fractured finger on his throwing hand.
One fan posted a picture of legendary Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan to praise Joseph for his unit’s on-field production since Week 7.
Will Peterson of Denver Sports summarized the team’s turnaround.
“It blows my mind this Broncos defense gave up 70 points in a game like three months ago. Vance Joseph’s group is balling,” Petersen posted to X on December 10.
Is Vance Joseph in Line to Get a Head Coaching Job in 2024?
Broncos fans were skeptical about head coach Sean Payton‘s hiring Joseph following his miserable stint as the team’s head coach from 2017-18. Safe to say, Joseph has won over the Mile High City during Denver’s 6-1 run.
Could the red-hot stretch land him a head coaching job in 2024? Rachel Vigil of Denver Sports seems to think so, given the “absolutely insane” turnaround of the defense.
“I do think that there will be some vacancies that coaches and GMs and teams are looking at and they’re like, ‘Yeah, we could take a chance on somebody who had such a good turnaround,'” Vigil said in her December 11 podcast.
Vigil believes “it’s 100% a possibility” and she would not be surprised if Joseph’s name “does pop up.”
Joseph went 11-21 in his two seasons in charge before being fired in December 2018. If the defense maintains its momentum, is there any reason for him not to get a second chance as a head coach?
Russell Wilson Recalls Halftime Speech He Gave to Vance Joseph in Week 4
When most of Broncos Country was ready to run Joseph out of town, quarterback Russell Wilson maintained his confidence in the much-maligned coach.
Wilson credited Joseph and recalled a halftime pep talk he gave during the Bears game in Week 4.
“I told him in the Bears game at halftime,” Wilson told reporters on December 10. “When he came back out with a half, I just told him, ‘Hey, listen, I’ve gone going against you probably 100 times you are one of the best defensive coordinators, I know. And one of the toughest guys to go against.’ And I knew that he could turn it around. You know, he’s done a good job, but we got more to do.”
It remains unclear whether Wilson’s speech did the trick for Joseph. However, the defense has played like a vastly different unit since that matchup.
Denver’s defense allowed a staggering 181 points through the first five weeks. Joseph’s unit has given up 128 points in the last eight games.
The Broncos have allowed 16 points per game in that span after allowing an average of 36.2 points during their 1-4 start.
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