NFL coaches typically write a script of about 15 offensive plays to start a game. For the Broncos, does that script include punts?

In a tide-changing 30-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night, the Broncos punted more often in the first quarter than they ran the ball. With first-year starting quarterback Trevor Siemian, the Broncos passed three times on their first drive (a three-and-out that gained no yards), passed twice more on their second drive (a three-and-out that lost 3 yards) and passed twice again on their third drive (a three-and-out that gained 7 yards).

This script might need some edits.

“It’s concerning,” Denver coach Gary Kubiak said.

Concern was the buzzword Monday at Dove Valley. The Broncos (6-3) dropped to third place in the AFC West, a game behind the first-place Raiders (7-2). And Denver fell behind early, again, as has been its habit this season.

Kubiak insists on a heavy dose of passes to begin a game. In their past five games, the Broncos have passed the ball on 67 percent of their opening 15 plays from scrimmage, which does not include punts. They are 2-3 over that stretch. And with Siemian under center, that pass-to-run ratio jumps to 72 percent. Rookie backup quarterback Paxton Lynch threw on seven of his first 15 plays in a loss to Atlanta last month. In three games, Siemian threw on 10 of his first 15 plays, including Sunday at Oakland, and 13-of-15 against the San Diego Chargers in Denver.

“We have to find a way to stay on the damn football field,” Kubiak said, defending his play-calling.

Against the Raiders, the Broncos stumbled through their first four possessions without a first down. They rushed for only 23 yards in the first half and 33 yards in the game. Nearly half of their first half total came on one run, Kapri Bibbs’ 10-yard scamper on a third-and-1 play in the second quarter. No. 1 running back Devontae Booker, with only seven carries, gained 13 yards, a 1.9 yard per-carry average.

“I have to respect the plays that are being called,” Booker said Monday. “We’d like to get in a rhythm (running) early on in the game, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.”

The Broncos have scored only 10 points on their opening possessions, the worst mark in the league among teams that have played nine games. It ranks 22nd overall. In their past five games, the Broncos are averaging five plays from scrimmage on opening drives — good for three points on one Brandon McManus field goal.

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With Kubiak calling a majority of plays, the Broncos aim for an offensive system balanced between the ground and air. He said the intent is to bring the offense up to temperature early in a game by getting playmakers involved, wideouts such as Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

But when that fails, and it has more often than not, the Broncos dig themselves a hole. Then they need to pass more to catch up. Passing begets passing. And the rushing yards disappear.

“It’s gotten out of whack,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got to find some consistency, is what we have to do. We ran 50 plays (Sunday). We averaged 6.0 yards per play. You’d think that was good if you looked at football statistics. The problem is, there’s no consistency to it through the course of a game.”

In the first and third quarters at Oakland, when plays are essentially scripted coming out of the locker room, the Broncos ran 12 plays in 3 minutes and 50 seconds. A fourth drive started in the third quarter and ended with a field goal in the fourth.

And for context, look at the New Orleans Saints, Denver’s next opponents. With veteran quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints are the most prolific passing team in the league, averaging 326.4 airborne yards per game. But Sunday, against San Francisco, the Saints found a near-perfect balance, with seven passes and eight runs on their first 15 plays. They led 7-3 after the first quarter.

“We’ve got to find a way to run the football somehow, someway, to help our football team,” Kubiak said. “Obviously, the last two weeks it has been pretty nonexistent. It’s been tough.”

Running on empty

The Broncos, built to have a balanced offense in coach Gary Kubiak’s system, are struggling to find an equilibrium early in games. How their play breakdown looks over the first 15 plays in their past five games: