After nine weeks, the Broncos sit at 3-6 (their same record as last year at the bye) with a new quarterback, a very young offense, a piecemeal defense and special teams that still sit at the bottom of the league in most categories.



Over the last 25 years, the Broncos have had losing records six other times at the bye. They ended all but one of those seasons — 2011 (8-8) — below .500.



But this Broncos team is odd. The defense that has been ravaged by injuries and now features many players who signed with the team late and/or with no experience, ranks fourth in total yards and passing yards and boasts the league’s second-best red-zone defense.



The offense that was supposed to be stabilized by an 11-year veteran quarterback has (after one game, anyway) found the most success with a fourth-year quarterback who now has all of 50 snaps under his belt.



And for years the Broncos have lacked a reliable and productive returner. But they seem...