They were poised to join the Orange Crush and the Orange Rush. Now the comparisons seem like apples to oranges.

They were going to carry the Broncos to their first AFC West title in a decade, and maybe even lug the team deep into the playoffs. They had a battery of All-Pro talent and added two former 49ers who could lead them back into the NFL's upper crust.

That was the type and the talk.

Two games in? The Broncos defense looks ordinary. The Broncos defense looks -- gulp! -- overrated.

They are struggling to stop the run, and Jonathan Taylor, with one 68-yard second-half gallop, torched them.

Their linebackers cannot cover anyone, at least not tight ends in space or backs in the flat.

They have generated pressure, but against a physical offense and terrific play-caller last Sunday, they could not get home. It seems like every Talanoa Hufanga brilliant effort has been followed by a sobering reality check.

And you know who the Chargers resemble in style? Yeah, the Colts.

Week 3 demands a statement.

"Big picture, no worries," defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Thursday. "We have to fix what went wrong in the first half. We can't duck that. We won't duck that. And we haven't."

Good, because there is one Duck -- Justin Herbert -- who will happily embarrass them.

The Broncos have devolved from hype to hope. Want to be considered a true contender? Whip the Chargers. On the road.

Do that, and Denver will be taken seriously again. Get punched in the face, and it will reinforce that there is no real difference between this season and last. That the Broncos are plucky, but not ready for primetime.

They are 2-7 in one-score games over the past two years. And over their last five games dating to last season -- throwing out the win against the Chiefs' junior varsity -- the Broncos have surrendered 25.8 points and 391 yards per game.

To be considered a great defense, the Broncos must beat elite quarterbacks. They did it twice last season, smothering Baker Mayfield and Aaron Rodgers. Remember when those games showed up on the schedule? Weeks 3 and 4, when Denver was flailing.

Can the Broncos pull that off again with victories over the Chargers and Bengals? Or will they remain a middling team chasing ghosts and lightning bolts?

Before blaming Joseph, proceed with caution. The film against the Colts does not show issues with the scheme. It reveals players who were not winning their one-on-ones. That is worrisome when watching the Chargers. They bring the fight. They want the physicality.

According to NextGen, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones completed 16 passes for 265 yards against the blitz. Joseph heats things up. It is what he does. The 71 % blitz rate on Colts' dropbacks was the most by any team since the start of last season. Understand, blitz is a relative term. Sometimes, it is as simple as bringing five guys, and there are blockers for that.

But here is the concern: What if the fastball is not working? Does the Broncos defense have another out pitch?

Without a sack from All-Pros Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen and standout Jonathon Cooper last week, the Broncos offered no counterpunch. Bonitto was close on multiple occasions, but pressure from the edge is much easier to avoid than when it is in the quarterback's face.

It leaves Joseph with tough choices. He can use maddog blitzes that offer huge risks and rewards. He can play more zone to keep the ball in front of the five coverage defenders and cross fingers that the tackling improves.

Joseph is not short on ideas. The problem is execution. This game will be won in the middle of the field, and the Broncos remain vulnerable.

They haven't had a sideline-to-sideline coverage linebacker since Danny Trevathan. This season was supposed to be different. But Dre Greenlaw's quad injury grows increasingly mysterious with each missed practice.

The Broncos sacked Herbert five times last season. They can get to him. But can they rattle him? Turn him over? He protects the ball like his iPhone passcode. Herbert will see matchups he believes he can win as the Chargers seek their first 3-0 start since 2002.

There is irony that, after all of the bravado this offseason, the Broncos need cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian to deliver his best game. The same McMillian who was supposed to lose his job to first-round draft pick Jahdae Barron. How McMillian guards slot receiver Ladd McConkey -- he riddled Denver for 10 catches and 130 yards last season -- could determine the outcome.

It is hard to overstate Sunday's importance, even if the calendar reads September. If the Chargers win, they will hold a three-game lead on Denver in the division when acknowledging head-to-head is the first tiebreaker.

The Broncos snapped their eight-year postseason drought last season, but they have a lot to prove.

Forget Super Bowl chatter, this team is built to win at least one playoff game, even if Greenlaw and Evan Engram remain absent and ineffective. But that entire premise is based on Denver having a special defense.

To not make the playoffs because this group underachieves would make this season feel like a waste. The defenders are better than they were against the Colts. Now, they have a chance to show it.

Because frankly, so far, the orange juice has not been worth the squeeze.

Renck: Broncos' hyped defense looks overrated. Don't like it? Make statement vs. Chargers