Tag: Defense

Wisconsin’s defense is in the midst of a historic run

Stats that show Wisconsin’s current dominance

Wisconsin’s defense has been a driving force behind the team’s three-game win streak and significant improvement.

Every number and figure should back up that fact. The Badgers have allowed just one touchdown and 16 total points over the last three weeks — six to Purdue, seven to Rutgers and now three to Northwestern.

Related: ESPN FPI updates Wisconsin football win chances for remaining 2024 schedule after win over Northwestern

To put that run into context: Wisconsin’s 16 points allowed over the last three weeks is its fewest allowed over a three-game stretch in Big Ten play since 1998 — that stat via WOZN’s Zach Heilprin.

That 1998 team finished 11-1 and won the Rose Bowl. It had a mid-season run of allowing three points to Illinois, zero to Iowa and seven to Minnesota — 10 total points in the three weeks.

That is terrific company for a 2024 Wisconsin defense that started the season somewhat slow, with pedestrian outings against Western Michigan, South Dakota, Alabama and USC. The group is now up to the No. 11-ranked defense in ESPN SP+, No. 14 total defense (295.7 yards per game), No. 7 pass defense (155.9 yards per game) and No. 18 scoring defense (17.57 points allowed per game). It has become statistically one of the best units in the country.

Part of those improved totals is obviously due to playing the struggling offenses of Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. But a big part is also clear improvement from the unit as it continues year two under Luke Fickell and Mike Tressel — especially from the front seven and pass-rush.

While Wisconsin’s air raid offense will capture most of the national headlines moving into the team’s closing stretch, the defense has been the primary force behind the team’s resurgence.

The Badgers are back on the field on Saturday night against No. 3 Penn State. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. CT on NBC and Peacock.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Broncos have their most consecutive road wins since 2015

The Broncos have won three straight road games, their longest streak of wins on the road since their Super Bowl season in 2015.

Following their 33-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, the Denver Broncos have now won their last three road games.

Thursday’s 23-point victory marked Denver’s fourth-highest margin of victory in a road game since 2010, and the team’s biggest blowout since a 45-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in 2018.

The Broncos’ three-straight road wins also mark the team’s longest road winning streak since their Super Bowl season in 2015 when Denver won four road games in a row. The team had a five-game road winning streak in 2011 and their all-time record was eight consecutive road wins from 2012-2013.

“I thought it was a good team win,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after Thursday’s victory. “We did a lot of things well tonight that we statistically talk about. You are always adjusting and getting used to the short week schedule when you are at home and on the road. We talked all week about a fast start. I thought they handled the mental part of it. It’s really easy to complain on a short week and pretty soon no one cares. I thought our preparation for those two days were good.”

Up next for Denver is a home game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8 followed by back-to-back road games against the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. If the road streak holds up through that tough two-game stretch, the Broncos will be taken seriously across the league.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo analyzes the 49ers offense: ‘They get your eyes all over the place’

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo analyzes the San Francisco #49ers offense: ‘They get your eyes all over the place’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke with reporters on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s Week 7 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. He shared his breakdown of their offense and the importance of staying focused on their many playmakers.

“We’ve talked a lot about the whole eye candy. There’s a lot of movement up there for a reason; they get your eyes all over the place, they can disrupt support in run systems, and that’s why they do it, they try to soften you up a little bit,” said Spagnuolo. “We have a good group of guys that have worked well together. We need to do that all day long out there in San Francisco because all it does is take one missed fit and just any running back they put back there, but especially the number 24 (49ers RB Jordan Mason) has been doing a really good job of it. That’s what the system is built for, and we have to negate that by kind of being on point. I think our eyes are probably the biggest thing.”

49ers running back Jordan Mason has stepped in admirably for the injured Christian McCaffrey. Mason was limited in practice on Thursday as he was dealing with a joint sprain in his shoulder. He leads the team in rushing this season with 609 yards and three touchdowns.

Saints should make a big change at cornerback after blowout loss

The Saints must make big changes to end their losing streak. They should start by benching Paulson Adebo for rookie draft pick Kool-Aid McKinstry:

The New Orleans Saints must make big changes to end their four-game losing streak, but where should they start? Head coach Dennis Allen isn’t going anywhere so the changes need to begin on the field. And with starting cornerback Paulson Adebo setting a new career-high in penalty yards, it’s time rookie second-round draft pick Kool-Aid McKinstry get a shot.

Adebo’s 101 penalty yards this season are a career-high, and that’s with two of his penalties being declined (he’s never had multiple fouls declined in a single season before). He gave up 76 penalty yards as a rookie in 2021, 73 penalty yards in 2022, and just 27 penalty yards in 2023, but now he’s fallen back into bad habits. That regression must come with consequences.

And the team can’t afford his boom-or-bust play style. It’s a great thing that Adebo leads the defense with 3 interceptions and 10 pass breakups. On top of the penalties, he’s getting beat in coverage. Pro Football Reference charting has him with 30 receptions and 527 yards allowed. Only one other defender has given up more than 400 yards this year, and that’s Benjamin St-Juste at 402. The gap between Adebo and St-Juste is as wide as that between St-Juste and DeMarvion Overshown, whose yards allowed rank 16th-most.

Let’s check another outlet. Pro Football Focus has Adebo with 33 catches and 426 yards, so they’ve charged some big gains to other players. But Adebo’s 426 yards allowed are still the most in the league. Even if you assign blame to another defender in the secondary here or there, he’s still getting beaten far too often and for too many big gains.

Those mistakes extend to other phases, too. PFF charged Adebo with missing four tackles against the Buccaneers last Sunday, putting him at six misses on the season. PFR was more forgiving and had him with just one missed tackle this year, but there are often disagreements on stats like these. Either way the image of Chris Godwin shoving a stiff arm into Adebo’s face mask so he could pick up 7 more yards from deep inside Tampa Bay territory stands out.

Will McKinstry be a better fit? Maybe, maybe not. It’s worth finding out. Adebo was given a big opportunity to help himself in a contract year, coming off his best season as a pro, but he blew it and the Saints’ season is going down with him. They can’t keep doing what they’re doing after giving up 594 yards from scrimmage and allowing 51 points to be scored on their heads, extending a losing streak to four miserable weeks. The Saints drafted McKinstry for a reason. See if he can hold his own and let Adebo earn back his spot in the lineup after being at fault on so many negative plays.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Dennis Allen’s Saints rank last in total defense through 6 weeks

The New Orleans Saints currently rank last in yards allowed. They’ve given up 1,000 yards in the last two games, but their issues go further back:

The New Orleans Saints have given up over 1,000 yards over the course of the past two games, and now there’s no team in the NFL who gives up more yards per game. The Kansas City Chiefs game was bad, but the way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dismantled Dennis Allen’s unit was a special type of beating.

Yardage has been an issue for the Saints’ defense. It was masked by the fact New Orleans played “bend but don’t break” defense. The lack of points scored against the team has held off some criticism. That can no longer be done after seeing 50 points on the scoreboard.

The Philadelphia Eagles game is a perfect example of this. The Eagles regularly drove down the field against the Saints. Nick Sirianni went for it on multiple fourth downs and failed.

New Orleans forced two turnovers, and both were in Saints territory. When you end the game only giving up 15 points and forcing two turnovers, it’s easy to not pay attention to the 460 yards.

The defense hasn’t been stonewalling teams, and now they’re allowing points on top of that. Turnovers couldn’t save them this week. They forced multiple interceptions, but still gave up over 500 yards and 50 points.

Defense used to be the backbone of this team. Now, it’s a hindrance.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

How long can the Steelers’ defense keep bailing out Justin Fields?

While the Steelers scored over 30 points of offense in their Week 6 victory, how much credit should be given to quarterback Justin Fields?

The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the Las Vegas Raiders in their Week 6 contest, outscoring them with a final score of 32-13.  However, the score doesn’t do the defense justice, nor tell the whole story.

Fields’ athletic abilities have never been in question.  However, his overall quarterback play begs the question, would the Steelers have lost this game if not for T.J. Watt and the rest of the defense?

Watt’s two forced fumbles stopped the Raiders from scoring additional points and killed their momentum, as well as gift-wrapping the Steelers’ offense touchdowns.  An interception by CB Donte Jackson, as well as blocked punt by LB Jeremiah Moon, gave the Pittsburgh offense their scoring position.

While an argument can be made that Fields’ rushing ability helped push the offense, a similar counter-argument can also clearly seen that Fields cannot win games with his arm.  Some believe Fields shouldn’t be benched in favor of Russell Wilson, but Fields produced his worst passer-rating of the season today: 75.9 QBR, with an abysmal completion percentage of under 60%.

Wins should not be a quarterback stat, but Fields may have lost this team more games than Wilson would have.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=657775441]

Riley Moss says Broncos’ defense can still improve

“There’s still some things we’ve got to clean up. We shouldn’t have given up that many points. There’s still some stuff to get after.”

Five weeks into the 2024 NFL season, the Denver Broncos have one of the best defenses in the NFL. And there’s still room for improvement.

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph loves to blitz, and he’s able to do so frequently because Denver’s defensive backs hold up in man coverage. In those scenarios, though, all it takes is one missed pass breakup or one missed tackle to give up a big play.

That’s what happened against the Las Vegas Raiders last week when safety P.J. Locke misjudged a pass to tight end Brock Bowers, who went 57 yards for a touchdown. That’s the kind of play the Broncos can get cleaned up.

“It’s one of those things where you need to be present,” cornerback Riley Moss said of the defense’s approach. “Mentally, physically, every day. You want your work days, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, to be harder than the game so when you come into the game, it’ll be a lot easier.

“That’s kind of the mentality that our entire defense has had. It has been working, but there’s still some things we’ve got to clean up. We shouldn’t have given up that many points. There’s still some stuff to get after.”

Denver ended up winning last week’s game 34-18, but Moss wasn’t satisfied with the defense’s performance. The unit will look to take another step forward when the Broncos host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Vance Joseph’s self-made defense ranks second in the NFL

The Broncos’ defense ranks No. 2 in points allowed this season (14.6). “It’s a group of self-aware, young, hungry guys,” Vance Joseph said.

Five weeks into the 2024 NFL season, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been widely praised for his impressive defense.

The Broncos’ defense ranks second in points allowed per game (14.6), third in total yards (271.2), fifth in passing yards (159.8/game), tenth in rushing yards (111.4), third in sacks (19) and seventh in interceptions (five).

During his media availability last week, Joseph deflected praise to the “self-made” players who make the defense work.

“We have a defense full of just young guys who are mostly self-made,” Joseph said last Thursday. “We have one first-round pick, and that’s Patrick [Surtain], who is a really good player. Everyone else are pretty self-made guys that are just grinders. That’s helped our process of working hard, being smart, studying and just doing it right. Playing together and being team-first guys.

“It’s a group of self-aware, young, hungry guys who are still trying to reach for more. So I don’t have a problem of motivating guys, of keeping guys humble because it’s there every day. Again we have one guy, Pat, who’s a first rounder. Everyone else are just self-made guys who want to get better every day.”

This week, Denver’s defense will face a Los Angeles Chargers offense that ranks fourth-worst in the league in yards (263.8) and fifth-worst in points (17.0). The Chargers have the best scoring defense (12.5) in the NFL, however, so Sunday’s showdown could be a low-scoring affair.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Peter Schrager dubs Broncos DC Vance Joseph his Coach of the Week

NFL analyst Peter Schrager heaped a ton of praise on Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph following Week 5.

The Denver Broncos have a winning record thus far in the 2024 season, in many aspects due to their stifling defense. And NFL Network analyst Peter Schrager has taken notice of the elite group.

“I give out a coach of the week award every week. It could be a head coach, a special teams person, it could be an assistant coach at any level, and I am so excited to give Vance Joseph the award for coach of the week this week,” Schrager said on Good Morning Football this week.

“The Denver Broncos defense is the best in the league, and they were rocking those Orange Crush uniforms and they absolutely dominated the Raiders.”

Schrager went on to praise the Broncos’ defense for their success across the 2024 season.

“Looking at this unit this season, they are allowing 14 points per game this season. That’s good for second in the league,” Schrager said. “They have 19 sacks, 75 quarterback pressures and 41 quarterback hits, all good for top three in the league entering Monday Night Football.”

https://twitter.com/gmfb/status/1843294986894540812?s=46

Later on in his segment, Schrager lauded the humility of the defensive coordinator.

“Vance, personally, the story is so cool. He was the head coach of the Broncos, got unceremoniously fired, worked elsewhere, got the job with Sean Payton to be defensive coordinator, has no ego, says ‘Sure, I’ll be defensive coordinator.’ They give up 70 in a game to the Dolphins last season, and everybody says ‘Get rid of Vance Joseph!’

“They have since been one of the most dominant units in the league [since then]. Vance Joseph, love the focus, love the way this team is performing and we love the fact that your story tells you that you do not shut the door on a guy who’s done it his entire career.”

Well-deserved praise for Joseph and Denver’s defense.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Chiefs defense examines Saints offense ahead of their Week 5 matchup

Kansas City #Chiefs defense examines New Orleans #Saints offense ahead of their Week 5 matchup | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs defense has made big plays this season, contributing to their undefeated record and confidence leading into Week 5.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke with reporters after practice last week, sharing his thoughts on the New Orleans Saints thriving offense ahead of their Monday Night Football battle at Arrowhead Stadium.

“Well, I think they’re really good because they mix it up. It’s not just pass, and it’s not just trying to chuck it down deep. I mean, they’ll run the football, and they have some really good people to do that, so that’ll kind of get you on your heels a little bit.” said Spagnuolo. “Derek (Carr) knows exactly what to – I’ve always had respect for Derek Carr and how he gets them in and out – or out of a bad play and into a good one. I think that has a lot to do with it, and he’s a very accurate quarterback.“

After four games this season, New Orleans leads the NFL in points per game with 31.8. Derek Carr has six touchdown passes and three interceptions with 824 yards. He, along with lead running back Alvin Kamara (362 rushing yards), has the attention of Spagnuolo and star defensive lineman Chris Jones.

“They’re playing really good football. It’s a playoff-caliber team (that) we’re facing,” said Jones late last week after practice. (”They have a) heck of a defense, and the offense is relying heavily on Derek Carr and (Saints RB) Alvin Kamara.”

Due to injury, the Saints will be without Taysom Hill, who has played an essential offensive role over the years.