ClutchPoints
The Denver Broncos have won eight straight games on the back of an elite defense. The team finds success because they get after the quarterback often. Their 49 sacks are the most in the league, 15 more than the second-place team. At this rate, the team is on pace to break the single-season sack record held by the 1984 Chicago Bears. The succeeding ’85 Bears team, which won the championship, became more renowned and is considered by many to be the best defensive unit in NFL history. However, regardless, the mid-’80s Bears laid out a blueprint for how to win a Super Bowl through elite defensive play. How do the Broncos stack up against them?
Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense revolutionized football. In 1985, it culminated in a championship victory. That unit ranked first in the NFL in points against (12.4). They played a physically imposing and aggressive brand of football in which opposing quarterbacks had to fear for their football health when they played Chicago.
The team was first in turnovers per game, rushing yards allowed per game, and total yards allowed per game. Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary, Dave Duerson, Otis Wilson, and Richard Dent were the Pro Bowl leaders of that defense. Singletary was the Defensive Player of the Year, and Dent led the NFL with 17 sacks. They joined Steve McMichael on the First-Team All-Pro list.
The Bears’ defense the year before was nearly as good, and that unit isn’t talked about enough when discussing all-time great defenses. Dent had even more sacks, as he brought the quarterback down 17.5 times. Hampton and McMichael also surpassed double-digit sack totals.
All in all, 13 different players sacked the quarterback for the Bears in 1984. With looser rules around the physical nature of football, the Bears were so dominant that teams had to be prepared to play multiple quarterbacks. The 46 defense was an eight-man front that aggressively sent the blitz. It was hard to run against, and opposing quarterbacks needed to make quick decisions in the passing game.
More often than not, the Bears’ defense applied the pressure before the opposing offense could make anything happen. The Bears even shut out the Broncos in a 27-0 Week 2 blowout that was one of the highlights of the season.
The Broncos have had some iconic defensive units in their own right over the years. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Denver was known for the “Orange Crush” defense. The “No Fly Zone” led them to a Super Bowl 50 victory, too. Now, fans are calling the Broncos the “Orange Rush.”
Patrick Surtain is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He is a huge cornerback and the best player at his position in the NFL. The fact that Denver has found success without him in recent weeks while he has been recovering from a pectoral injury shows just how...
