of denver broncosThe defense has been bad lately.
Despite an ugly start to the season, going 0-2, the Broncos have won two straight games, thanks in large part to their defense. It's a defense that ranks third in the NFL in pressure rate, first in ESPN pass rush win percentage, and eighth in EPA/plays allowed, according to Sports Information Solutions. They're a team that I didn't expect much from coming into the season, but they really surprised me. On Sunday, they pitched a complete game, defeating the Jets 10-9 in the rain. What really stood out was the pass rush and defensive line, a group of players who have played great since the start of the season, so let's take a look at who stands out.
Against the run, the Broncos were incredibly strong, allowing just 64 yards on the ground and gaining just 2.3 yards per carry. The Broncos' edge defenders have good size to protect the pass, but the way they defended the run was very impressive. Watch DJ Jones and Zach Allen break up those blocks at defensive tackle, clog the lanes, and allow the linebackers to fill in.
Against the pass, Denver was able to harass and make QB Aaron Rodgers uncomfortable throughout the game. Denver finished the day with a pressure rate of 27.5%, totaling 14 pressures and five sacks from various areas of the line. What was great to see in Denver was the development of the young edge rusher and how Broncos DC Vance Joseph used his speed to manipulate the Jets' office staff. The Broncos are in Cover 1 on this play, but keep an eye on the front line for this blitz. LB Cody Barton flies around the edge, pretending to fall into coverage. I think this limits Rodgers' chances of escaping with players faster than him on the right.
On the left side, edge Nick Bonitto absolutely destroyed Tyron Smith with an incredible ghost move, resulting in one of the best pass rushes we've seen all week. The result was a sack and a negative play.
On the final play of the game, the Broncos outsmarted the Jets in a really cool way by getting a sack and forcing a fumble. Denver is in a BOSS front (bigs on same side) with Allen and Malcolm Roach on the right side of the formation. Two linebackers are on the left side with Bonito out for Staten Island. The Jets ended up with Hall at LB and man protection, but Bonito's wide split here is interesting. This forces Smith to run as fast as he can to catch him, making the LB double-handed against RB Breece Hall.
Roach actually hit a sweet arm-over move and got the sack, but Joseph was tired of creating these isolated matchups.
With one of the last sacks of the game, the Broncos beat the Jets in a very cool way. When you're under pressure, you always want to show from one area and bring the heat from another. If you want to apply pressure from the edge, go to the center and vice versa. The Broncos have two linebackers standing right in front of center, making the front line a stealth situation. The safety PJ lock is located on the left edge. The Jets saw this and slid their protection to the left number, allowing Hall to block the robbed linebacker on the right. However, at the moment of the snap, both the robbed linebacker and the right edge fell into coverage, wasting the right tackle and running back into protection.
Lock comes screaming off the edge unblocked because the center, left guard, and left tackle all have to block. It was the perfect finish to a dominant defensive day.
Denver's defense has been a pleasant surprise to start the year. They get great contributions from players like CB Pat Surtain II, DT DJ Jones, and nickel Jaquan McMillian, as well as DT Zach Allen, CB Riley Moss, and EDGE Nick Bonito. Now that I've found a defensive back group that I really like, I'm curious to see how they'll play going forward. Denver plays Las Vegas at home on Sunday, so look for this defense to continue to fuel opposing offenses.
