Players from the Denver Broncos New York Jets defensive line fared well in Broncos hard-fought 13-11 home victory over New York Jets on Sunday. The team’s defensive prowess shone brightly as they limited the Jets to just 82 yards and no touchdowns throughout the contest. This performance marks a significant improvement for the Broncos, who have now only allowed 31 points in their last three games combined.
In actuality, the Bronx’s defense has become an unexpected juggernaut. They’ve accumulated an astounding 30 combined sacks in only the first half of the fall! They registered a historic nine sacks against the New York Jets. This remarkable achievement represents the second-highest amount raised for an individual game in the franchise’s long history. The defensive unit showcased its depth, with eight players contributing at least a half sack, while Nik Bonitto recorded his eighth sack of the season.
Even with their downright scary defensive performance, the Broncos had plenty of things to clean up. They did get burned by a 72-yard kickoff return to Kene Nwangwu, which underscores that there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Except when it came time to apply the heat on Jets QB Justin Fields, the Broncos were consummate in their displeasure. Jonathon Cooper and Brandon Jones made key second-half sacks in the game’s waning moments to close out the win.
After the game, Broncos coach Sean Payton did not mince words on what he wanted his team’s defensive identity to be.
“Well, it was a defensive team [Sunday], and I hope it’s a defensive team all season. In order to win, I think that’s extremely necessary in our league. And, man, they were something.” – Sean Payton
Payton acknowledged that the close score was not ideal for his team but emphasized the importance of their defensive strategy moving forward.
“Did I want this to be a one-score game? No, but it was.” – Sean Payton
Right now, the Broncos sit atop the NFL in defensive EPA. It’s a testament to just how damn good they’ve been on defense. Even with the team’s recent performance, that stands out pretty impressively. In fact, they’ve held teams to 106 net passing yards or fewer in three different games this season!
If the Broncos want to improve upon their success from a year ago, they should find a promising stretch of games. Consider that three of their next four opponents are bottom-half of the league offensive units. That might just give an opening to the Broncos’ defense to get its teeth into dominating more opponents and further solidifying its identity.
After the Broncos’ most recent strong showing against Arizona State, football analysis guru Bo Nix called them a “defensive powerhouse.”
“It was impressive. … They’d be a fun defense to watch, probably an awful defense to play against.” – Bo Nix
The win against the Jets marks a hopeful beginning to the Payton and Russell Wilson era. That’s the best start of any of his three seasons on the team. They were victims of two extremely difficult walk-off losses earlier this season to the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers. This impressive victory raises their spirits and reveals the strength they’ve developed as fighters.
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