VANCE JOSEPH’S DEFENSE DIALING UP THE PRESSURE
In Denver’s 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week, the Broncos generated sacks from anyone and anywhere.
In the first quarter, Denver had Baron Browning, Drew Sanders, Jonathon Cooper and Delarrin Turner-yell on the edges, while inside linebacker Alex Singleton manned the middle behind defensive lineman Zach Allen. As Justin Herbert dropped back, Singleton charged up the middle and chased down the Chargers’ star quarterback before sacking him near the sideline.
Los Angeles faced a thirdand-10 with 12:13 to go in the second when Singleton stormed into the backfield again. This time, his pressure set up Allen to swoop in from the right side and sack Herbert.
By the end of the day, the Broncos had six different players record a sack in one of their best defensive performances this season.
“(Defensive coordinator) Vance (Joseph) and these guys have done a really good job of bringing combinations, if you will, which makes it a little harder,” head coach Sean Payton said. “I think it’s a little bit contagious.”
The Broncos have been a dangerous pass rush unit in recent weeks. They have recorded 17 sacks in the last four games, and have totaled five-plus sacks in each of the past two matchups. Denver’s success at getting home has been a pleasant surprise, especially after the team combined for just six sacks through the first four weeks of the season.
Broncos safety Justin Simmons, who recorded his first sack of the season against the Chargers, attributed the pass rush success to a multitude of things, including communication and Joseph’s play calling. Simmons thinks Joseph has done a good job at mixing up the team’s pressure looks.
“I think opposing offenses aren’t sure if it’s coming or not,” Simmons said. “We may drop one or two (in coverage) but add one or two on the opposite side. That can confuse offenses.”
On Joseph’s defense, everyone is eating. Against the Texans in Week 13, Denver had four players record a sack while Allen and edge rusher Baron Browning each had half of a sack. During the Broncos’ commanding 29-12 win over the Browns at home, three different players registered a sack.
Denver’s ability to generate sacks late in games has been a testament to its relentlessness. The Broncos took down Chargers backup quarterback Easton Stick twice in the final drive of the game. Against Cleveland, the Broncos had four sacks in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve done a good job of playing hard all the way to the end no matter what happens,” Browning told The Denver Post. “I think when you have that type of mentality, good things happen.”
Throughout Denver’s sack parade, the Broncos have not been afraid to dial up the defensive back blitzes with safety P.J. Locke and nickel cornerback Ja’quan Mcmillian. With 3:39 to go in the first quarter against Los Angeles, Herbert looked down the field and didn’t see Mcmillian coming in off the edge, who flew in for a sack.
The Chargers faced a fourthand-22 with 1:52 remaining in regulation when Locke wrapped around and stripsacked Stick.
“Speed and timing. (Locke has) been an exceptional blitzer for us in the last couple weeks. You never know if guys are going to be good blitzers until they do it live,” Joseph said. “To have two defensive backs who can blitz cleanly and finish on quarterbacks and on running backs has been good for our defense.”
Locke is the first safety in team history to record a sack in three straight games while Mcmillian is the first Broncos cornerback to record at least 0.5 sacks in back-to-back games since Ray Crockett in 1996.
“They have been awesome,” outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper told The Post.
Denver is on track to surpass its 2022 sack total of 36. The Broncos are 19th in the league with 34 — a fact made all the more impressive given that most of those sacks came after the team got rid of veteran edge rushers Randy Gregory and Frank Clark.
Still, the Broncos face a potential dilemma while preparing for Saturday’s matchup against the Lions. Second-year edge rusher Nik Bonitto (knee) and Locke (neck) missed Wednesday’s practice. Cooper (ankle) was also a limited participant, but told The Post he was OK after he got hurt while recording an interception in the first quarter of last week’s win.
If Bonitto can’t play, the hope is Cooper will be healthy enough to play alongside Browning. If not, that could also mean more work for Sanders, who has spent some time on the edge over the past few weeks.
“Some of these (quarterbacks) are too good to sit in the pocket and they’re too talented,” Payton said. “Somehow, you have to disrupt the passing game, and it’s either at the line of scrimmage and rerouting receivers, or it’s with the quarterback. They’ve done a good job.”