Tag: Defense

Broncos coach Sean Payton praises Steelers’ tough, physical defense

“They do a lot of things extremely well, and that’s not by accident,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the Steelers’ defense.

The Denver Broncos‘ offense struggled to score touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks’ defense in a 26-20 loss on Sunday.

An even tougher test is on deck in Week 2 when the Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers, who allowed only 10 points to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.

“Certainly, the Steelers’ defensive tradition and how they’re performed over the years is deserving of the accolades and all the success they’ve had,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Monday. “It’s tough, it’s physical. They do a lot of things extremely well, and that’s not by accident.

“I think we’ll be seeing a better defense this weekend, and that’s with no disrespect at all to Seattle. It’s just a more experienced defense — that’s a better way to say it. We’ll have to obviously make the corrections and then get ready for a good week here for a home game.”

Pittsburgh’s defense forced two interceptions, two sacks and one fumble in an 18-10 win over Atlanta on Sunday with star defensive lineman T.J. Watt leading the way (he had three QB hits, two tackles behind the line, one sack and one fumble recovery).

If the Broncos’ offense is going to bounce back from an underwhelming performance last week, they’ll have to make huge strides. The Seahawks’ defense was tough. The Steelers’ is tougher.

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Washington Huskies legend Jermaine Kearse on the development of Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie

Super Bowl champion Jermaine Kearse reflects on the growth of Kansas City #Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie w/ @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs made a significant change in their secondary before the start of this season, and a young defensive back has risen to new levels as the leader on the depth chart.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to the Washington Huskies alum Jermaine Kearse at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton before he participated in the inaugural Golf Classic Fundraiser to honor local first responders in commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of 9/11.

Kearse opened up about his involvement in the event and thoughts on the success of fellow Huskies alum Trent McDuffie.

“I serve on the Board of PLTgolf, the leading sponsor of this event, and when I joined the board, our tagline was, Give, Golf, Grow,” said Kearse. “The support behind the First Responders Children’s Foundation, my brother, my younger brother, just recently became a police officer.

“There are a lot of things that brought me out here to be able to support, knowing that I have a family member who’s a first responder and all the families across the country who ultimately make the sacrifice that each first responder makes. It was a no-brainer for me to support it here. It’s such a great event.”

Kearse was a standout wide receiver during his college playing days at the University of Washington before becoming a Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks and stints with the New York Jets and Detroit Lions in the NFL. He returned to the school, serving as an assistant coach in previous years and getting an early look at future Chiefs All-Pro Trent McDuffie.

“I got to watch Trent (McDuffie) play up and close and personal,” Kearse explained. “I was on the coaching staff a bit when he was playing at Washington, and you just automatically saw his talent through his work ethic and how he goes about his business on nongame days.

‘He’s a hard worker. He’s always trying to perfect his craft. The University of Washington has a lineage of great DBs (Defensive Backs) to come out of there, and he’s just continuing that legacy; he is just a tremendous hard worker and a super awesome person, which translates into what he’s doing on the field.”

McDuffie earned All-Pro honors in his sophomore season and has been tabbed as the Chiefs top cornerback. He has already made sensational plays in Week 1 of the season as the team seeks an unprecedented three-peat.

“Back-to-back Super Bowls, in the future, a three-peat, it’s a really cool thing to see from where he started, coming in as a freshman at UW (University of Washington),” said Kearse. “Carrying out that work to the NFL, seeing his success blossom and his talents being exposed to the world to see how really good of a player he is, he continues to show that day in and day out.”

First Responders Children’s Foundation is a national organization that provides programs and resources to address the needs of first responders and their families. It was founded over 22 years ago in response to 9/11 when 800 children lost a first responder parent.

Additional information about FRCF can be found at 1stRCF.org and on Facebook, X, and Instagram @1strcf.

Broncos’ defense needs to close out games

After building a 13-9 halftime lead, the Broncos’ defense allowed 17 points in the second half of Sunday’s game. “We’ve just got to finish.”

The Denver Broncos‘ defense got off to a flying start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

On the first snap of the game, Broncos pass rusher Jonathon Cooper sacked Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. On the next play, linebacker Alex Singleton grabbed an interception. Later in the first half, Denver’s defense forced a pair of safeties.

That takeaway and the two safeties helped the Broncos build a 13-9 halftime lead, but Denver squandered that lead in the second half, eventually losing 26-20. After two sacks, a takeaway and two safeties in the first half, the defense allowed 17 points in the second half.

So what happened? The offense struggled to stay on the field in the third quarter — did the defense get tired from being on the field too long?

“Yeah, I don’t know,” coach Sean Payton said after the loss. “That’s a good question. It’s a fair question. The time of possession, certainly we would have liked to have had a drive to start the second half. We were three-and-out and then I think we gave up a touchdown on that next drive, so the momentum shifted there early in the third quarter, and, yeah, we struggled at that point. Took a while to get it back.”

That third quarter proved to be costly as Denver was outscored 10-0 in a game decided by six points.

“[There’s] a lot to learn from,” Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton said. “Stuff that we preached in the offseason was there. Defensively, obviously, we want that third quarter back. I think it wasn’t how we wanted to play. We started fast, we finished. They went into four-minute mode early, but we did what we can to get the offense the ball back and give them opportunities to score like they did. Just building off that, I think. We just need to know that it’s week one and keep getting better.”

Denver cornerback Pat Surtain did not pin the second-half slump on being on the field for an extended period.

“Not necessarily,” Surtain said. “When we go out there, we expect to do our job no matter what the situation is. We’ve got to hold ourselves accountable at the end of the day. I mean, no one else is out there playing for us. But we’ve got to execute the calls and execute the scheme and play to the best of our ability. We’ve just got to finish off all four quarters of the game, all four phases. That’s the main thing.”

Next week, the Broncos will face a Pittsburgh Steelers offense that scored 18 points with Justin Fields in Week 1 (it’s unclear if Fields or Russell Wilson will play in Denver). Surtain is confident the unit will bounce back.

“[W]e’ve got a long season ahead,” Surtain said. “We [will] learn from this one game and just move forward.”

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Bo Nix struggles, Broncos lose to Seahawks 26-20 in Week 1

Bo Nix struggled until late in the fourth quarter and his late touchdown wasn’t enough as the Broncos fell 26-20 to the Seahawks.

Bo Nix struggled in his NFL debut as the Denver Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks 26-20 at Lumen Field on Sunday afternoon.

Nix went 26-of-42 passing for 138 yards with no passing touchdowns and two interceptions. It was a day to forget for the rookie and Denver’s entire offense.

Denver’s defense, on the other hand, came out flying, starting the game with a Jonathon Cooper sack on Seattle’s first snap. One play later, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw an interception to Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton.

That takeaways set Denver’s offense up with good field position, but the Broncos had to settle for a 35-yard Wil Lutz field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Seattle matched that field goal to make it 3-3 later in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Denver drove down to the Seahawks’ 21-yard line, but the drive ended with Nix’s first career interception, a poor decision thrown into coverage. That turnover set Seattle up at its own one-yard line and their offensive line was penalized for holding on the next play, a foul that resulted in a two-point safety. That gave the Broncos a 5-3 lead.

Later in the second quarter, Denver safety JL Skinner recovered a muffed Seahawks punt return at Seattle’s nine-yard line. The Broncos’ offense then settled for another Lutz field goal to make it 8-3.

The Seahawks erased that deficit on their next drive when Smith rushed 34 yards for a touchdown to make 9-8 (their 2-point attempt failed).

Denver made another big play on special teams later in the second quarter when cornerback Tremon Smith and Skinner teamed up to pin Seattle at its own one-yard line on a punt. One play later, Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet was tackled by Zach Allen in the end zone for another safety that made it 10-9.

Lutz added a 45-yard field goal just before halftime to extend the lead to 13-9. After the offense went three-and-out to open the second half, the Broncos’ defense allowed a 23-yard touchdown run to Ken Walker as the Seahawks retook the lead 16-13.

On Denver’s ensuing drive, running back Jaleel McLaughlin lost a fumble near midfield. That led to a Seattle field goal that made it 19-13.

In the fourth quarter, Charbonnet scored on a 30-yard touchdown catch to extend the lead to 26-13. Nix later threw a second interception that essentially sealed the Broncos’ fate. Nix’s garbage time four-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter proved to be too little too late as Denver fell 26-20 after the Seahawks ran out the clock.

Up next for Denver is a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2. After sitting out Week 1 with a calf injury, Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson has an uncertain status for next week’s game at Empower Field at Mile High.

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Here’s how the Notre Dame defense held Texas A&M’s QB in check

Here’s what the Fighting Irish defense did to stifle Texas A&M’s quarterback.

Notre Dame won a defensive struggle against Texas A&M 23-13 on Saturday, and what the Fighting Irish defense did to Aggies’ quarterback Conner Weighman is a big part.

Pro Football Focus gave Weigman the worst passing grade in the nation, with a 28.0 mark.

The Aggies overall offensive grade wasn’t much better at 29.0

Give the credit to the Notre Dame defense, which despite self-destructing with some penalties that led to the Aggie’s game-tying touchdown, was stingy most of the night. The Irish D continued to bailout the offense, which was inconsistent early, until the offense was able to come up with the big plays needed to win.

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Chiefs DT Chris Jones on excitement level for his ninth season: ‘Still get butterflies’

Kansas City #Chiefs DT Chris Jones on excitement level for his ninth season: ‘Still get butterflies’ | @EdEastonJr

The battle to sustain success is a significant part of the Kansas City Chiefs’ mindset as a team and individually, with veteran players continuing to strive for greatness.

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones addressed his thoughts with reporters on Monday about entering another season and expectations for the defense this season.

“Absolutely. I think it’s always a butterfly feeling when you(are) getting closer to the game and actually the first play of the game, (I) still get butterflies,” said Jones. “I think when that feeling goes away then – my time here is coming up, but as long as I’m getting that feeling, I’m still here. I’m still excited to play, I’m still excited to see the potential of this team (that) we have and finally be able to hit somebody else other than my teammates.”

Jones secured ten sacks last season and a well-documented contract incentive on the way to another All-Pro year in 2023. The defense played at an elite level, but Jones believes they can take things further in 2024.

“The potential we have. We have a lot of potential in the room. It’s all about coming together, building chemistry throughout the year, and building off of adversity. Adversity builds character.” said Jones. “If we’re able to continue to face adversity and build off of that, I think this team can be really special.”

Jones is a leader on the team who still aspires to become defensive player of the year, adding to his long list of career accomplishments.

Chiefs safety Justin Reid provides an update on his injury status for Thursday vs. Ravens

Kansas City #Chiefs safety Justin Reid provides an update on his injury status for Thursday vs. Baltimore #Ravens | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs hope to get their starters healthy and back on the field for Thursday’s season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. Multiple defensive veterans missed preseason games due to injury, so the team will focus on having them available for action.

Chiefs safety Justin Reid addressed his injury status to reporters on Sunday after practice.

“Just had a quad injury, pull, Just wanted to play it smart and safe. I had a couple of years in the system already, so there was no reason to try and overextend myself to the point where I made the injury worse,” said Reid. “The primary focus was just getting back healthy, and our training room did a great job of that. We took our time with it. This past week has been really good for me to get my feet back underneath me and be ready to go Thursday.”

Reid didn’t play during the preseason, as he decided to play it safe in hopes of not straining the quad more. He reiterated that he is healthy and ready to play against the Ravens this Thursday.

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Reid said. “No limit. We’re going to be out there flying around. I would not play if I did not feel like I would be an asset to the team to help us win.”

The veteran safety is an essential member of the defensive secondary and is still in line to play a role on special teams. The new kickoff rule could still allow Reid to be utilized as the kicker in specific situations.

Broncos have run game and defense in place to support Bo Nix

A strong run game and good defense are a QB’s best friend. “Not just for a rookie, that’s for Peyton Manning, Tom Brady,” Sean Payton said.

The Denver Broncos are setting Bo Nix up for success in his first season.

The Broncos turned down trade offers for No. 1 wide receiver Courtland Sutton, and they gave a massive contract extension to star guard Quinn Meinerz. Denver running back Javonte Williams is now fully healthy, Jaleel McLaughlin is back and the team added rookie Audric Estime to the mix.

On defense, the Broncos beefed up their front three by bringing in John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach this spring.

The pieces are in place for Nix to be supported by a punishing rushing attack and strong defense, two best friends of a young quarterback — or any QB.

“That’s the case — that’s not just for a rookie, that’s for Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or any of our great quarterbacks,” coach Sean Payton said ahead of the team’s preseason finale last week. “They themselves would say, ‘Man, if we’re struggling on defense, and we’re having trouble running the ball, it becomes harder to play that position the way you want to play it.’

“That’s what we’re in the midst of doing right now. We’re still trying to get the consistency we want in the run game. We have another weekend relative to a preseason game and practices to work on that, the same way defensively. I think we’ve played the run pretty well, but it’s a work in progress.”

Denver ranked near the middle of the NFL with 106.5 rushing yards per game in 2023. After a slow start, the defense finished well last season. Following the additions made this offseason, the Broncos believe they have a good supporting cast in place for Nix.

It’s still a work in progress, as Payton noted, but the run game and defense seem to be trending in the right direction.

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Dennis Allen reveals where he’d line up Taysom Hill on defense

Dennis Allen says he wanted to try Taysom Hill at linebacker early in his career. If only Sean Payton would have signed off on it:

If Dennis Allen had his way years ago, the Taysom Hill you currently know may have never existed.

What makes Taysom Hill so beloved by New Orleans Saints fans is the fact he can do everything. He’s currently a part-time tight end/fullback who lines up on the line of scrimmage, in the slot, or out wide. And of course he’s started games at quarterback (notching a 7-2 record!). In the latest preseason game, the team gave him a lot of snaps in the backfield as a running back and lead blocker. Basically, name a position on offense and he’s been there.

However, if Sean Payton would have given in to Dennis Allen’s request, Taysom Hill would have been a defensive player. Allen revealed this conversation to Kay Adams when she asked if Mr. Do-It-All could play defense.

“I thought about that,” Allen said. “Early on we thought about making him a Sam linebacker. The head coach at the time wasn’t giving anything up.”

Allen’s plan was to put Hill at strongside linebacker and let him rush the passer half of the time. This is equally as creative as Hill playing all of these offensive positions when you remember he started out as a quarterback for BYU.

If you really want to get crazy, maybe Hill would have become a two-way stud who split time on both sides, but doesn’t play a lot either way. It’s not like the Saints run a lot of three-linebacker sets anyway.

Hill has covered punts and kickoffs on special teams and made plenty of tackles, so he could have been up to the task. But Payton wanted him focusing on offense, and Saints fans have gotten to celebrate plenty of touchdowns because of it.

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Chiefs vs. Bears: Rising rookie recovers fumble in fourth quarter

Check out this video of #Chiefs rookie Kamal Hadden recovering a fumble in Kansas City’s preseason finale against the #Bears on Thursday night

The Kansas City Chiefs faced an uphill battle against the Chicago Bears in their preseason finale on Thursday night but got a lifeline in the fourth quarter of the matchup when rookie defensive back Kamal Hadden recovered a fumble and returned it for significant yardage.

The play was started when Tyree Gillespie knocked the ball free after a reception by John Jackson. When Hadden made the recovery, he sprinted down the field before being pushed out of bounds by Bears receiver Velus Jones Jr., who prevented the rookie from scoring a touchdown.

Check out this video of the play, which was posted to Twitter by the Chiefs’ official account:

Hadden struggled to make his presence felt during Kansas City’s previous preseason exhibitions but put his mark on this game with this exceptional defensive effort.

Stay tuned to see if Hadden makes the Chiefs’ 53-man roster next week when Andy Reid and Brett Veach make their cuts for the 2024 season.