The now 10-2 Denver Broncos continue to pull out unlikely victories, but it’s important to not lose sight of the issues that have persisted during their nine-game win streak.

Denver beat the Washington Commanders in a 27-26 overtime primetime game, but the Commanders highlighted some of Denver’s biggest weaknesses.

Today’s Hottest Take: Denver Has a Problem Stopping Tight Ends

The Broncos couldn’t do a thing to stop Washington tight end Zach Ertz from torching their defense. Ertz ended the night with 10 catches on 14 targets for 106 yards. Whatever he wanted, he got.

He isn’t the only tight end who has hurt the Denver defense this season. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Houston’s Dalton Schultz had six catches for 77 yards. New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson had three for 66 and a touchdown, with most yards coming on his fourth-quarter touchdown.

Occasionally, Denver can slow down opposing tight ends, but it is more often than not a liability of a usually elite defensive unit. The worst part is Denver has tried plenty of matchups and can’t find the man for the job. Pro Football Focus credited nine Denver defenders with seeing targets against Ertz.

Safety Brandon Jones is best utilized over the top of the defense. Fellow safety Talanoa Hufanga is a great roamer who can play in the box, on the line, or over the top, but struggles in man-to-man coverage.

Linebackers Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw aren’t great for the job, either. Singleton is a sure tackler but doesn’t thrive in coverage. Greenlaw is strong, physical and smart in coverage, but he isn’t the same athlete he used to be.

Ja’Quan McMillian is the team’s best slot defender, but he is too small to guard tight ends. That leaves Jahdae Barron as potentially the best option, but he’s just a rookie. Barron’s performance against Kelce was his breakout moment in the eyes of Broncos fans looking for a tight end stopper. Barron matched up a handful of times with Kelce and allowed just two catches for 14 yards.

Relying on a rookie to win against a physical, cerebral position like tight end could be risky, but Barron may need to be leaned on more in that role. He saw just two targets lined up from Ertz and didn’t see much run against TEs Sunday night. Barron saw just 25 total snaps against Washington, according to PFF, following the return of star cornerback Patrick Surtain II, so he didn’t have many reps regardless of position.

What You Need To Know: The Rushing Games Appear to Be a Weakness

With Dobbins missing his second game following his season-ending injury, it’s clear Denver’s run game could use a boost, and ideally, it would come from internal improvements.

Two games into rookie RJ Harvey’s starting tenure, it doesn’t appear he is quite ready to earn starter touches. Across the past two games, Harvey is averaging 2.7 yards per carry on a combined 24 rushes for 65 yards. He did find the end zone twice against Washington, but Harvey isn’t providing the same down-to-down consistency Dobbins found. Harvey actually looked better as the change-of-pace running back he was, with Dobbins garnering the majority of carries.

Denver reportedly had interest in now-Chiefs running back Dameon Pierce after he was released by the Houston Texans. Obviously, they know the running back room isn’t the same as it was a few weeks ago.

The Broncos may just need to utilize Harvey differently than they did with Dobbins. If they can get Harvey into space with outside zones and passes, he could become more useful, but Denver is missing their every-down back.

Before You Go: Broncos Are In a Race For No. 1 Seed

Denver still is looking to clinch a playoff spot, something not on the table for this week, but there are still playoff implications surrounding the team’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. With the New England Patriots currently leading the race for the No. 1 seed with an 11-2 record, Denver may need to win tiebreakers over New England to have a shot at the first-round bye.

A win would give the Broncos a 6-0 record against common opponents, while the Patriots would be sitting at 5-1 after losing to the Raiders in Week 1.