Tag: Defense

Broncos star CB Pat Surtain praises DC Vance Joseph

“VJ is just dialing up,” Pat Surtain said. “He has so much trust in us as players and that allows him to call these exotic schemes.”

The Denver Broncos have one of the best defenses in the NFL four games into the 2024 season, ranked second in yards allowed per game (256.5) and third in points allowed per game (13.8).

Much of the credit goes to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who is getting the most out of stars like Pat Surtain and veteran journeymen like Cody Barton.

Joseph loves to blitz, and he can do so frequently because of the confidence he has in the team’s defensive backs to hold up in man coverage.

“VJ is just dialing up,” Surtain said after a 10-9 win over the New York Jets in Week 4. “He has so much trust in us as players and that allows him to call these exotic schemes, show different looks and frustrate opposing offenses because his ability to trust us and his ability in his play calling. Obviously, these past few weeks it’s paid dividends.

“The offenses we’ve been going against, and we played another great quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and, like I said, we’re just going to keep on building and keep on performing. VJ is just going to keep on calling great calls defensively and we’re going to get after it for sure.”

This week, Denver’s defense will face a Las Vegas Raiders offense that ranks ninth-worst in yards per game (288.8) and 19th in points per game (19.5). After forcing two turnovers and totaling five sacks against the Jets last week, Joseph and Co. will look to keep the momentum going in Week 5.

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Alontae Taylor is our choice for Saints’ Defensive Player of September

In September, Alontae Taylor set a Saints record, led the team in sacks, and had a great performance against CeeDee Lamb. He’s our Saints Defensive Player of the Month:

Alontae Taylor is the New Orleans Saints defensive player of the month. Dennis Allen praised Taylor frequently this offseason, and Taylor continues to showcase why he was worthy of the comments.

This was a tough pick between him and safety Tyrann Mathieu. The secondary was expected to be the strength of the team, so it makes sense the two leading candidates for the team come from the unit.

Between Taylor, Mathieu and contributions from Marshon Lattimore and Kool-Aid McKinstry, the secondary has lived up to the billing.

Mathieu is responsible for the most turnovers on the team. He has 2 interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. However, the nod goes to Taylor because of his surprising pass rush and improved coverage ability in the slot.

Taylor leads the Saints in sacks despite being a nickel cornerback. In Week 1, he set a team record for most sacks by a defensive back in a game. Taylor also was tasked with covering CeeDee Lamb often in Week 2. Taylor lived up to the billing.

Taylor looks more comfortable in the slot and has impacted the game in multiple ways. For that, he earns the player of the month.

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Broncos defense ranks near top of the NFL in major categories

The Broncos’ defense ranks second in yards (256.5) and third in points allowed per game (13.8) this season.

Through four weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Denver Broncos have one of the best defenses in the NFL. That’s not an opinion — the stats back it up.

On a per-game basis, the Broncos have allowed 256.5 total yards (second), 146.0 passing yards (third), 110.5 rushing yards (12th) and 13.8 points (third). Denver also has 16 sacks (second) and five takeaways (11th). Vance Joseph has the unit playing at an extremely high level, and they shut down the New York Jets in Week 4.

“Yeah, I think, look, they’ve got a good rushing attack, and I think when that’s rolling it’s hard, you know he (Aaron Rodgers) does so much,” coach Sean Payton said after a 10-9 win over the Jets on Sunday. “I thought we defended the run real well today.”

New York’s offense was limited to 2.8 yards per carry against the Broncos and Rodgers was sacked five times in Week 4.

“It’s tough to do against him,” Payton said of the sacks. “He’s someone that’s real good with his protection IDs and he’s also someone who he knows if he’s short one and he knows right away. So, you’ll send a guy in motion, he’s extremely smart so you may go another 20 games before you see that happen to him. Look, that was part of the success today.”

Up next for Denver’s defense is a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, who have averaged 288.8 yards per game and 19.5 points per game. Joseph will undoubtedly send the heat against a Raiders line that has allowed 14 sacks through four games this fall.

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Bo Nix praises Broncos defense, says offense needs to score

“You can’t say enough about our defense on this winning stretch,” Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has 276 passing yards and one touchdown pass over the last two weeks, yet the team is 2-0 during that stretch. The defense deserves much of the credit for Denver’s recent success, particularly for their performance against the New York Jets in Week 4.

“[They have] relentless pursuit over there on defense, they get to the ball, the tackling today was huge, just with sacks,” Nix said after a 10-9 win. “I mean, they got the quarterback down several times, and I know that’s tough on him just playing the position. I know it’s tough when you get sacked over and over, but they found ways to continue to put pressure on him, put pressure on him, put pressure on him. And then they changed up the look several times, and guys just made plays. And they kept battling and battling and battling and fortunately for us we just came out on the better end today.” 

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers finished Sunday’s game against the Broncos with no touchdowns, one interception and five sacks. Denver is now .500, and Nix has been full of praise for the defense, and he acknowledged that the offense now needs to step up.

“It was huge to go on the road, get two tough wins against two really good football teams, two tough defenses, two tough offenses,” Nix said. “You can’t say enough about our defense on this winning stretch. They’re going to continue to give us the ball back.

“Now, we’ve got to find ways to score, more than just a few points, but that’s part of it. You find a way to win in this league, and that’s a big day. So, they kept them out of the end zone, and we found a way to get in the end zone one time, and that was the difference in the game.”

Up next for Nix and Co. is a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5.

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Brian Baldinger breaks down film of Broncos’ defense from Week 4

Brian Baldinger breaks down the Broncos’ impressive defensive performance against the Jets on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos‘ defense dominated the New York Jets on Sunday, sacking quarterback Aaron Rodgers five times while adding an interception and a forced and recovered fumble in a 10-9 win.

Following that impressive performance, NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger took to Twitter/X to break down some of the team’s standout defenders.

“One great play after another,” Baldinger said in his video of defensive lineman Zach Allen dominating the line of scrimmage. “Zach Allen and this front … across the board, they were locked down all day.”

Baldinger also reviewed footage of cornerback Pat Surtain lining up against Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

“[Surtain said], ‘Not on my watch,'” Baldinger said of one of the cornerback’s breakups. “‘Not on my day. This is the Broncos’ day.’ And that defense was outstanding all day.”

Baldinger also broke down the defense’s goal-line stand against New York:

And the offense wasn’t overlooked — Baldinger reviewed how the run game got back on track against the Jets:

After improving to 2-2 on Sunday, the Broncos are now back in Denver preparing to host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5.

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Dennis Allen’s defense hasn’t learned how to close out tight games

The Saints’ struggles to keep offenses out of scoring position late in games was on full display against the Falcons, but this problem traces back to 2022:

For the second week in the row, the New Orleans Saints defense had a chance to close out a game and failed. This is beginning to feel like a regular occurrence for them, and this is one of those times the eye test and statistics tell the same story.

Whether it’s a Paulson Adebo pass interference penalty or Jordan Howden running into Marshon Lattimore for a coverage bust, the Saints defense has struggled to close the game. Dennis Allen’s unit is supposed to be the strength of the team, but they’ve failed in the biggest moments. Holding onto these late leads is a weakness of the unit. Costing the Saints’ victories in back-to-back weeks has brought the weakness to the forefront.

But the trend extends beyond the past two weeks. Since Allen was promoted  to head coach, the Saints are 0-4 when opponents start drives between 2:30 and 1:00 left in regulation while leading by 6 points or fewer. The last two games fall in this category, and the defense faltered in two similar situations in 2022.

The situations vary in those four games. There have been times where the opponent needed a touchdown to win and times where a field goal sealed the deal. Against the Bengals in 2022, the Saints gave up a touchdown on the first play of the drive.

Regardless of the situation or score, the Saints defense has never stood tall under Allen’s leadership. He may coach up a strong defense for 58 minutes, but he hasn’t taught them to be clutch for the final 120 seconds.

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Steelers Week 4 recap: What happened to the defense?

Usually a strong point for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the defense struggled throughout the contest, resulting in Pittsburgh’s first loss.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense was the best in the league. They were number one in total scoring defense, total yardage, and second in rushing defense. However, this week against Indianapolis was a different story.

The Colts put up more points in the first quarter than any of the previous Steelers’ three opponents had. Pittsburgh was allowing an average of approximately 70 rushing yards per game, and Indianapolis broke that number with only two drives.

An injury to Alex Highsmith, and defensive line struggles in Week 3 could be responsible for the setback. However, it wasn’t just the edge rushers and defensive line, the secondary allowed Pittman to have 100 receiving yards by the end of the first half, and 113 yards total in the contest.  The offense was able to rebound towards the end of the game, the defense, however, gave up another 10 points in the second half.

Pittsburgh has a tough stretch of games coming up. However, the Steelers appear to have a small glimmer of hope for their Week 5 matchup, where their opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, may be without star player Micah Parsons.

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Broncos shock Jets with 10-9 upset win in Week 4

The underdog Broncos went into New Jersey and beat the Jets!

The underdog Denver Broncos (2-2) improved to .500 on Sunday by upsetting the New York Jets (2-2) in Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season with a 10-9 victory on a rainy, sloppy day in New Jersey.

Denver’s defense dominated from start to finish. Filling in for an injured Alex Singleton (ACL), Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad opened the game with an eight-yard sack. Two plays later, safety Brandon Jones forced a fumble and cornerback Riley Moss recovered the ball, setting Denver up with good field positon at New York’s 30-yard line.

Following wide receiver Courtland Sutton’s offensive pass interference penalty, the Broncos were knocked out of field goal range and they were forced to punt, squandering the field position set up by the takeaway.

The first score of the game came in the second quarter after the Jets got the ball with good field position following a Tyler Badie fumble. Badie left the game with a back injury after the turnover. The Jets got the ball down to the one-yard line following a tough pass interference call on Moss, but Denver’s defense forced New York to settle for a field goal to make it 3-0.

The Jets later added another field goal to take a 6-0 lead into halftime.

After a rough start to the game, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix led an 11-play, 87-yard drive in the third quarter that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton. That was Nix’s first touchdown pass in the NFL and it gave Denver a 7-6 lead.

New York then added another field goal to retake a 9-7 lead. The Broncos matched that with a 47-yard field goal from Wil Lutz to make it 10-9.

After exchanging punts, the Jets got the ball back at their own 33-yard line with 2:31 remaining in the game. New York drove to the 45-yard line before Rodgers was sacked by safety P.J. Locke on fourth down, giving Denver the ball back with a one-point lead at the Jets’ 35-yard line.

Following that turnover on downs, the Broncos only managed to pick up three yards before attempting a 50-yard field goal, which Lutz hooked left. Two plays later, Moss was penalized for pass interference again, setting New York up at Denver’s 36-yard line. The Jets ultimately settled for a 50-yard Thomas Morstead field goal attempt, which missed wide right, sealing the game.

Rodgers was sacked five times for -41 yards on Sunday and the Broncos’ defense kept New York’s offense out of the end zone. It was another impressive performance for Denver’s defense led by Vance Jopseh.

Up next for the Broncos is a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5. Denver will wear its throwback uniform in that game.

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Sean Payton continues to bring former Saints to Denver

Kwon Alexander is joining the Denver Broncos’ practice squad. That makes eight former New Orleans Saints players with Sean Payton in Denver:

Sean Payton continues to build New Orleans Broncos/ Denver Saints at his new home. The former New Orleans Saints head coach has continuously brought his former players to the Denver Broncos. The latest example is Kwon Alexander. He was signed to the Broncos’ practice squad

Former Saints wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey was also on the practice squad but was elevated permanently before Week 3 due to an injury. The signing of Alexander brings the total of former Saints players in Denver to eight. The list is highlighted by Wil Lutz, Adam Trautman and Malcolm Roach. It also includes Humphrey, Jordan Jackson, Lucas Krull and Calvin Throckmorton, All of them are on the active roster.

This isn’t the first time Payton gave Alexander a shot. Alexander was with New Orleans for the last two seasons of Payton’s tenure. At the time, Alexander was coming off an injury and seeing his role in San Francisco.

Clearly, Payton liked the dynamic Alexander brought to New Orleans. We’ll see if Alexander gets in the lineup when the Broncos visit the Saints on Oct. 17.

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Vance Joseph has Broncos’ defense playing at a high level

The Broncos’ defense ranks 2nd in passing yards allowed, 3rd in yards allowed and sixth in points allowed three games into the season.

What a difference a year makes.

One year after a 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Denver Broncos returned to Florida on Sunday to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This time, the Broncos took care of business with a convincing 26-7 victory. Denver’s defense — led by coordinator Vance Joseph — dominated from start to finish, ending the game with seven sacks and two takeaways.

“I think we made [Baker Mayfield] hold [the ball],” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after the game when asked about the sacks. “I think we made him hold it some. That is a credit to coverage.”

Denver cornerback Pat Surtain held Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans to just one catch for eight yards. Broncos safety Brandon Jones grabbed an interception and recovered a fumble.

Six defenders recorded a sack, including two sacks from former UFL pass rusher Dondrea Tillman in his NFL debut. Following that impressive performance, Denver’s defense ranks high after three weeks of play.

The Broncos have allowed 259.3 yards per game (third-best), 133.3 passing yards per game (second-best) and 15.3 points per game (sixth-best). Denver’s 11 sacks are tied for fifth-most and while that number is inflated by Sunday’s seven-sack performance, the team’s 44.8% pressure rate is a good sign that the sacks should continue.

If there’s a weakness, it’s the 126.0 rushing yards allowed per game (12th-worst), but that’s not a big factor when the Broncos are able to build a lead.

Denver’s defense is off to a great start this season, and Joseph deserves credit.

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