It’s easy to play the blame game.

Broncos tight end Vernon Davis had plenty of choices to shift the cause for his recent drops on someone or something else. He could have blamed the team’s ever-evolving starting quarterback situation or playing in frigid temperatures on a regular basis for the first time since college as distractions.

Instead, Davis has taken ownership of his struggles and their effect on Denver’s two-game losing streak.

“I’m thinking about the actual play rather than taking care of my assignment,” Davis said. “Sometimes it shows, maybe when I drop a ball or something. I’m steady thinking about the process instead of focusing on the outcome.”

Football is played with energy and emotion. That part of the game is what Davis believes he is lacking.

Last weekend at Pittsburgh, the Broncos had the ball deep in their territory tied 27-27 midway through the fourth quarter. On a third-and-16 play, quarterback Brock Osweiler hit Davis down the left seam for what would have been a first down against the Steelers. The pass hit Davis in the hands before plopping to the ground. The Broncos ended up losing 34-27.

The week before, during a home game against the Oakland Raiders, Davis dropped a pass late in the fourth quarter that would have put the Broncos just outside of range of a score-tying field goal. Instead, they punted and ended up losing 15-12.

“Vernon has been here six weeks, seven weeks as a player, so that’s a lot to ask him of the role we’ve put him in,” said Denver coach Gary Kubiak. “He’s made a lot of plays. I know he’d like to have a couple back, but he’s not the only guy on the team.”

Since coming to the Broncos from the San Francisco 49ers in Nov. 2 trade, Davis has been playing catch-up. For the first 9½ seasons of his NFL career, Davis played for one team — San Francisco. He played for four head coaches, mostly defensive minds, but each year he had an entire offseason to get comfortable with changes.

According to Davis, the playbook and comfort in the system has been his toughest adjustment since joining the Broncos.

“A lot of stuff around here, like the plays, it’s still an ongoing battle,” he said. “I got the logistics and I got the basics, but every time I turn around they are adding different things — especially on Fridays.”

Knowing the Denver playbook is different from being comfortable in the system. It could also explain drops by some of Davis’ teammates — including wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who missed a lot of offseason work because of contract negotiations.

It hasn’t been all bad for Davis. After all, he’s playing for a 10-4 team. But the NFL is a “What have you done for me lately?” league. The frustrating drops stand out.

Kubiak said Davis, Thomas and other receivers have been getting more work catching passes from the Jugs machine during and after practices. The coaching staff is focusing on encouragement to stop the drops.

Davis spent his first Christmas off since joining the NFL with his family, and he believes relaxing will help him get back into a rhythm on the field. The Maryland product, who has NFL career totals of 461 catches for 5,841 yards and 55 touchdowns, said he always bounced back whenever he struggled or had bouts with drops while with the 49ers. He plans to do the same with the Broncos.

“It’s been tough. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s been tough,” Davis said. “Whenever you run into things that might be a struggle or don’t go your way, it’s just an obstacle. The best players and greatest players, they keep on going.”

Cameron Wolfe: 303-954-1891, cwolfe@denverpost.com or @CameronWolfe

Playing catch-up

Vernon Davis’ numbers since joining the Broncos from the 49ers in a Nov. 2 trade: