Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos have been blessed with some great defensive units over the years. The Orange Crush obviously comes to mind. And who could forget the No-Fly Zone seasons coupled with the pass rushing duo of DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller that brought the franchise its last Super Bowl victory?
While this year’s team has a long way to go toward being a formidable Super Bowl contender, most of the early returns to date have been quite favorable for Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph and his players on the defensive side of the ball. What can be said about their incredible performance yesterday versus the New York Jets? It was dominant, ferocious. Dare I say it was one of the most impressive defensive outings in National Football League in recent memory? I think so and the results speak for themselves.
Yesterday against the Jets, the Broncos defense allowed less than 85 yards of total offense. Now here is an eye-popper for you—Justin Fields had a net negative of 10 passing yards by games end. It’s almost impossible to imagine that happening in the pros, but it did yesterday. In fact, it was the first time in several years a defense in the NFL didn’t give up at least one explosive play on the ground or the air.
On top of that, the ‘25 Broncos are the first team since the ‘21 Bills to notch at least nine sacks in a game and hold their opponent to less than 100 total yards on offense. It’s a pleasure to watch this unit compete on weekly basis. That’s a sentiment shared by Head Coach Sean Payton, who is glad to have his group of stars on his team and not someone he has to gameplan against.
“We’ve got a number of them that you’re glad that you have them on your team and are not playing against them,” stated Payton after Denver’s victory when asked about the star power on his defense.
The Broncos led the league with 21 sacks going into yesterday’s game. After amassing a whopping 9 sacks on Fields, the team now has 30 on the season. The 1984 Chicago Bears hold the record for the most sacks in a season with 72. Now averaging 5 sacks per game, the Broncos would be on pace for 85 during their ‘25 campaign.
It will be hard to sustain that sort of success, but if there has been a bright spot to single out for the team this year, their ability to get after opposing quarterbacks is one of them. Defensive lineman, edge rushers, safeties, and linebackers all contributed to the Broncos’ sack parade against on Sunday. All three levels of the defense were dialed in, and Joseph had a tremendous game plan that kept the Jets’ offense from taking flight.
Denver’s defense certainly set a high standard for themselves this season. They’ve been adamant about being a dominant force. But even yesterday’s results were a bit baffling and for some, even a...
