ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos are back in the postseason for the first time since 2015, when they won Super Bowl 50 behind an outstanding defensive performance. So it’s significant that their journey to end the drought really began early last season, when they posted their worst defensive performance in franchise history.
On September 24, 2023, the Broncos allowed 10 touchdowns in a 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins. They gave up 726 yards (most in franchise history) and 350 rushing yards (third-most). It was the first time since 1966 (and only the fourth time in history) that an NFL team allowed 70 points in a game.
The loss left head coach Sean Payton furious, yelling, “This will never happen again. Absolutely not.” Linebacker Alex Singleton still calls the game “the most embarrassing game I’ve ever been in, the most embarrassing game I’ve ever watched.”
But many players also say it’s time for the Broncos to find the “grit” Payton often says when talking about his 2024 team. His harsh words after the match drew a line in the proverbial sand. And just over 15 months later, the same defense that dominated Miami was the foundation of Denver’s return to the playoffs.
“We want to be one of those units that impacts things and wins,” Broncos outside linebacker Jonathan Cooper said. “I feel like the sky is the limit. But definitely, Miami made us think and set us back.”
The defense, which ranks first in the NFL in sacks (63) and third in the NFL in points scored (18.3 points per game), will be tested in the wild-card round against seventh-seeded Denver. Probably. Sunday against the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+). If the Broncos have Super Bowl ambitions, they’ll have to do what they did the last time they made the playoffs, when Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller and Co. led Denver to the title. You’ll need to rely on this unit as well.
Earlier this season, former Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib pointed to the relationship between current Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Wade Phillips, who was the Broncos’ coordinator in 2015. Both men returned to the team after previously being fired as the team’s head coach.
“They came back, they came back to go again,” Talib said. “Not everyone does that.”
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Joseph was hired as head coach after Gary Kubiak left the Broncos for health reasons after the 2016 season. But with no answer at quarterback after Peyton Manning retired before the season, a roster in flux post-championship and consecutive unimpressive draft classes, the Broncos went 5-11 in 2017. In 2018, he had a record of 6 wins and 10 losses. Joseph was subsequently fired. We lost our last four games.
Fast forward to February 2023. After a five-win 2022 season, Payton was hired as the Broncos’ head coach to get the franchise back on track. One of his first moves was to return Joseph, who spent the past four seasons as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, to lead the defense. Joseph said he decided to return because he longed to “win with the Broncos,” and cited the franchise’s history as proof of what can be accomplished.
“Winning is important in this league,” Joseph said. “We didn’t win enough. (If) we don’t win, changes will happen.
“I didn’t bring any anger back here. Every day I walk in this building, I was and still am excited about the opportunity here. And these guys play hard. They play hard. is fun to teach.”
However, his return didn’t get off to a good start. The Broncos lost their first two games, both at home, before the Week 3 debacle at Miami. Players credited Joseph with being a calming presence in the aftermath of the game. He emphasized accountability and pushed for improvement, providing a shield for his players to brave the heat.
One former Broncos player said, “V.J. was right there and took it all in and was mad at us too. We all knew he couldn’t have done anything that day, but he… was right there for us.”
After starting the 2023 season with a 1-5 record, Denver has won five straight games and moved into the wild-card race. In the first six weeks, they were last in points and defense (33.3 points per game), but after Week 7 they were seventh (19.4). Still, the run defense was a blowout loss against the Lions in December. It was one of six games in 2023 in which the Broncos allowed at least 170 rushing yards.
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Although there were signs of improvement, it was clear that the run defense needed fixes.
With several offseason upgrades (including the trade for defensive end John Franklin-Myers and the signing of defensive tackle Malcolm Roach) and another year under Joseph, the run defense has taken big steps forward. Denver finished the regular season in 3rd place in rushing yards per game (96.4 yards), following 30th place the previous year. He was also second in yards allowed per carry (3.9).
Payton said Joseph’s tactics and use of personnel were a big part of the turnaround. Joseph has become more aggressive with his front seven. He calls his offensive line a “gap-and-half” defense, which, in Roach’s words, “is always upfield” and has the second-best man coverage in the league (56.3 fielding percentage). %). opponent’s dropback).
“He’s done a great job of looking closely every week to see, ‘What do we need to cover and do we need to force them to do something that they haven’t really done?'” said Peyton. “I have great confidence and complete agreement. His communication skills are outstanding.”
Any discussion of the Broncos’ defense starts with cornerback Pat Surtain II. He was named to his third Pro Bowl in four seasons last week and is squarely in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.
When Surtain was targeted last month, opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 39.1. The way this statistic is constructed, the QB would have had a better passer rating (39.6) if he simply threw the ball on the ground.
“Pat influences everything we do, the way we cover, the way we adjust, the decisions we make under pressure,” Joseph said of Surtin, who tied a career high with four interceptions.
Surtain has identified receivers this season, including Seattle’s DK Metcalf, Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans, Cleveland’s Jerry Jeudy, Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers, and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Those six players ran a total of 136 routes against Surtain, totaling 11 catches and 100 yards.
“He’s the best corner in the league,” defensive back Riley Moss said.
Surtain’s brilliance kept Moss busy. Moss was thrown 22.5% of the time on the field, the highest percentage of any cornerback with at least 400 coverage snaps. And his importance was best illustrated when the sophomore corner missed three games with a knee injury in December. Before Moss was injured in Week 12, the Broncos had given up more than 30 points once. They did it twice in the three games Moss didn’t play.
“Pat can make man plays to anybody, but if his partner can’t do it, he can’t (put pressure on the quarterback),” Joseph said. “(Moss) allowed me to put as much pressure as I wanted.”
Denver ranks 10th in blitz rate (31.2%) and second in pressures (34.9%) thanks to the reliability of its secondary. And that boosted Denver’s new pass rush star.
Edge rusher Nick Bonitto, the Broncos’ second-round pick in 2022 and a Pro Bowler this season, received first pressure on 15.5% of his pass rushes in 2023, which was third in the league. But he didn’t always turn that pressure into sacks, finishing with eight. Bonitto accomplished his goal this season, finishing with 13.5 sacks, becoming the first Bronco to reach double-digit sacks since Von Miller (14.5) in 2018.
“As a pass rusher, you have to understand how to get home, how to finish,” Joseph said. “Last year, I thought Nick had a chance to finish the play, but he didn’t. He missed the target, so he missed. This year, he’s finishing the play.”
Beyond Bonitto, Cooper added 10.5 sacks, marking the first time since 2018 that the Broncos had two players with at least 10 sacks.
Defensive tackle Zach Allen also had his best season as a pro. The additions of Franklin Myers and Roach help him avoid double teams, and Allen ranks 10th in the league in pass rush win percentage against single blockers (23%) this season, second only to the Chiefs’ Chris Jones and the Jets. I got it. defensive tackle Quinnen Williams; Allen set career highs in quarterback hits (40), tackles for loss (61) and sacks (8.5).
“That’s impressive,” Payton said of Allen. “They play different positions, but I had (defensive end) Cam Jordan all through my time in New Orleans, and he was the same. A player with that staying power, that stamina, that strength. There is.”
These Broncos are surprising playoff upstarts, but Talib and former Denver cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said last month that they see similarities between the defense they played and the current Broncos unit. said.
It’s hard for players on the 2015 team to put someone in their league until they win a Super Bowl, but Harris and Talib will see the same pursuit of turnovers in the 2024 Broncos as they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. He said he would be able to do so.
In 2015, the Broncos had 52 sacks, 14 interceptions, and 13 fumble recoveries in the regular season, and added 14 sacks, three interceptions, and four fumble recoveries in the playoffs. Broncos in 2024? He had a league-leading 63 sacks, along with 15 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries.
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“It’s not surprising. We have Wade and VJ worked for Wade. I think he talks to Wade all the time,” Harris said. “Right now it’s just a matter of executing it at the next (level) of competition. That’s the deciding factor. But they have the potential and they have the pieces.”
The Broncos’ defense did a lot of the heavy lifting after giving the team a 12.6% chance of making the playoffs a season ago, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. Denver started rookie quarterback Bo Nix, but was hampered by a historic $53 million dead money charge against the salary cap thanks to the release of quarterback Russell Wilson in March. The franchise seemed more likely to rebuild than contend. But defense proved to be the difference maker.
This time, the unit takes a close look at one of its MVP candidates, Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Allen has scored 40 touchdowns this season (28 passing, 12 rushing) and has a career-low six interceptions. They were joined by running back James Cook, who rushed for 1,009 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns, tied for second in the NFL.
It will be tough for the Broncos to stop Allen, Cook and the rest of Buffalo’s offense, which averages 30.9 points per game. But it’s something the franchise has been waiting for for years.
“The biggest games, the biggest minutes, those are the plays that come out,” Talib said. “Maybe people didn’t see them coming this year, but here they are. … You have defenses like we have and you get those rings. I can.”