Tag: Sack

Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto has ‘made the leap’ as a pass rusher

Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto leads the team with seven sacks this season. “He’s really helped us,” coach Sean Payton said.

After giving outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper a four-year contract extension earlier this month, the Denver Broncos will have another pass rusher due for a big raise before long.

Nik Bonitto, the team’s second-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2022, leads the team with seven sacks this fall and he’s on pace for the first double-digit sack season of his career after totaling eight sacks in 2023.

“He’s certainly made the leap,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Monday. “He’s getting more snaps. He’s getting more pass-rush snaps. I think the key for Nik was playing the run and running at him. He’s at the right weight now.

“He’s a guy that plays with real good bend. He can bend and torque his body. He has a lot in the tank relative to his pass rush, and what he wants to do and how to set somebody up. He’s really helped us.”

Bonitto (7.0) and Cooper (6.5) have been a dynamic edge duo for Denver this season, and interior defensive linemen Zach Allen (5.0) and John Franklin-Myers (5.0) have boosted the unit’s totals. Through ten weeks, the Broncos rank second in the NFL with 35 sacks.

Bonitto has one more year left on his contract before becoming a free agent in 2025. He’s well on his way to getting a big extension like Cooper.

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Third-year Chiefs CB impressed coaches during second career start: ‘He did a nice job’

Kansas City #Chiefs cornerback Nazeeh Johnson impressed coaches during second career start: ‘He did a nice job’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs have been hard hit with injuries on both sides of the ball this season but remain undefeated through nine games. Young players like Nazeeh Johnson have stepped up to help the team thrive through injury hardships.

Johnson recorded his first career sack in his second career start in last Sunday’s victory over the Denver Broncos. Head coach Andy Reid acknowledged his career game during the postgame press conference.

“I’m going to give credit to Nazeeh (Johnson) because Nazeeh never gets any credit – for leading the team in tackles,” said Reid. “he did a nice job there.”

Johnson finished his productive game by leading the team with ten tackles (six solo), including one for loss and one quarterback pressure. Week 10 marked his first double-digit tackle performance as the former 2022 NFL Draft seventh-round selection admirably fills in for injured starter Jaylen Watson.

Kansas City remains undefeated at 9-0 this season, becoming the fifth reigning Super Bowl champion to win its first nine games. They join the 2011 Green Bay Packers, 1998 Denver Broncos, 2015 New England Patriots, and 1990 San Francisco 49ers.

Broncos’ defense ranks among NFL’s best: ‘They’ve kept us in all of these games’

The Broncos’ defense ranks third in points allowed per game (17.7) and second in sacks (35). “They’ve kept us in all of these games.”

The Denver Broncos‘ defense continues to rank among the NFL’s best through ten weeks of the 2024 season. Vance Joseph’s unit ranks fifth in total yards allowed (295.7) and third in points allowed (17.7) per game. Denver’s 35 sacks rank second and their 12 takeaways rank 13th.

“They were phenomenal like usual,” quarterback Bo Nix said when asked about the defense’s performance against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. “They’ve kept us in all of these games. They gave us the ball back and any score would’ve won. It was impressive to see them.

“They held them in the red zone several times. They didn’t give up explosive plays. They got sacks, plenty of sacks. At some point, we just have to go down there and score on our own. We have to help them up and get some points in between us. It’s a team game. We all know that. I thought the defense played really well again.”

Kansas City was 1-of-4 in the red zone on Sunday and Mahomes was sacked for times for negative 23 yards. The defense put the offense in position to win the game, and they would have if not for a blocked field goal.

If the defense continues this pace and Nix continues progressing, the Broncos will remain in playoff contention down the stretch. After eight straight years of missing the postseason, there’s reason for optimism in Denver.

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Chiefs LB Nick Bolton describes his game-changing sack in Week 10: ‘I just had to make the layup’

Kansas City #Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton describes his game-changing sack in Week 10: ‘I just had to make the layup’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs defense pitched a shutout in the second half of Sunday’s victory over the Denver Broncos. Nick Bolton made another impactful play in the game as he secured an impressive sack on Bo Nix that changed the pace the rookie quarterback was creating after two first-half touchdown passes.

“(Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Steve Spagnuolo) ‘Spags’ saw something throughout the week and waited for the right position to call it,” said Bolton. “It was something new we put in this week. The back went over to block (Justin Reid) J. Reid, and I was free; I just had to make the layup. I missed the last couple ones the last couple of games, so it felt good to get that one.”

The Broncos’ sack from Bolton cost them 16 yards, knocking them out of realistic field goal position and changing the game’s momentum. Nix and the Denver offense were moving smoothly in the first half, and the Bolton sack was a much-needed message to turn the tide back to Kansas City’s defensive dominance.

“I think he did a good job playing within the system,” said Bolton of Nix’s performance. “He had a couple of tough throws. I thought we could have done a better job mixing up our looks and make him think a little bit more pre-snap. Overall, I thought he played a pretty decent game today.”

Bolton praised the young Broncos star in his first AFC West battle with the Chiefs. Both teams will meet in Denver in the final week of the regular season.

Nik Bonitto not worried about sack streak being snapped by a technicality

The NFL deemed Nik Bonitto tackling Lamar Jackson eight yards behind the line as a TFL on a run play, not a sack. Bonitto brushed it off.

Going into last week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto had gone six straight games with a sack, tying Von Miller’s longest streak in Denver.

In the second quarter of the game in Baltimore, it looked like Bonitto extended his streak to seven games with he tackled Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the backfield for an eight-yard loss.

The NFL’s stats crew on hand credited it as a rushing attempt for Jackson, giving Bonitto a tackle for loss, but no sack. After an eventual 41-10 loss, Bonitto said the sack streak ending was “the last thing on my mind.”

While Bonitto shrugged it off, others would like to see a stat correction.

“I just want to know why that isn’t a sack?” NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger asked in a video posted on his Twitter/X page this week. “You tackled the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage — nobody knows exactly what that play’s supposed to be.”

NFL stat corrections usually arrive by this point in the week and there’s been no change, so the stat will likely remain as it is. Bonitto’s sack streak has ended. He’ll aim to start a new one against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

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Chase Young’s long-awaited sack didn’t even count

Chase Young’s long-awaited third sack against the Carolina Panthers was all for naught. The play didn’t count, and the box score shut him out:

Chase Young only had two sacks over the course of eight games with the New Orleans Saints, and even though his drought ended against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, it was all for naught.

Young’s sack on Panthers quarterback Bryce Young occurred on a two-point try in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and therefore did not ultimately count. He was shut out on the box score.

And, to make matters even worse, it happened in a game the Saints lost so closely, falling 23-22 to the Panthers.

He came into the game with — and still totals for that matter — 18 combined tackles (11 solo) with two sacks and one pass defensed. As a player who was formerly a second overall pick, he has far from lived up to the expectations of what he was supposed to be coming out of Ohio State.

The Saints now sit on a seven-game losing streak with a legitimate case to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. Getting back to the right side of the win column will be essential as New Orleans continues its season against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 10.

That’s going to be a tough task given just how hot the Falcons are right now, coming off of a 27-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys as firmly the best team in the NFC South.

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Broncos vs. Ravens will be a must-watch offense vs. defense matchup

The Broncos ranks 3rd in yards allowed (282.6) and points allowed (15.0). The Ravens rank 1st in yards (452.1) and 2nd in points (30.3).

The Denver Broncos‘ defense is playing at a historic pace this season.

Vance Joseph’s unit ranks third in points allowed per game this fall (15.0). That’s currently the 20th-best average this century and better than the team’s elite 2005 defense that allowed 16.1 points per game.

Additionally, Denver’s squad ranks third in total yards allowed per game (282.6) and second in sacks (30). Despite the impressive numbers, Broncos coach Sean Payton wasn’t impressed after the team’s 28-14 win over the Carolina Panthers last week.

“I wish we would’ve finished better,” Payton said after the Panthers game. “I said this, it’s not a good offense we played. It’s just the truth. So we expected that, and we’re going to see a lot better teams.”

Payton’s right.

On deck is a huge matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, who rank first in total yards (452.1) and second in points per game (30.3) in 2024. It will be a strength vs. strength showdown in Week 9.

CBS Sports pointed out earlier this week that the Broncos have allowed the fewest yards per play (4.4) this season while the Ravens have gained the most yards per play (7.1) in 2024.

Something’s got to give.

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on CBS (TV broadcast map). Playing on the road, Denver is considered a big underdog in Week 9.

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Nik Bonitto is the first Bronco to accomplish this stat since Von Miller

Nik Bonitto is the first Broncos defender to record a sack in six straight games since Von Miller in 2018.

Denver Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto sacked Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 28-14 win.

That marked Bonitto’s sixth sack of the season and his sixth consecutive game with a sack this fall. He is Denver’s first player to accomplish that feat since Von Miller in 2018. It’s tied for the third-longest streak in franchise history, only trailing records set by Simon Fletcher (eight straight games in 1991 and 10 straight games from 1992-1993).

“Just keep following the game plan that ‘VJ’ (Vance Joseph) gives us,” Bonitto said after the game. “Continue to follow the rush plan that Coach [Michael] Wilhoite and Coach Jamar [Cain] gives us every week. Just making sure we are all rushing. DBs are always going to do their job with us so just making sure we’re rushing and following the gameplan.”

Bonitto’s six sacks are a team-high, but Jonathon Cooper (5.5) is not far behind. Both players are on pace for double-digit sacks in 2024.

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Sean Payton praises Bo Nix’s ability to escape sacks and make plays on the ground

“He is tough to sack,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of QB Bo Nix. “He has good ball location. He makes a lot of plays with his feet.”

Bo Nix did not run a 40-yard dash at the NFL combine or at Oregon’s pro day this spring as he was recovering from a minor toe injury. Perhaps because his speed was not measured leading up to the draft, Nix’s speed has taken some fans and pundits by surprise this season. 

The Denver Broncos’ rookie quarterback has had a knack for avoiding would-be sacks and turning them into big gains on the ground. Following a 33-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 7, Broncos coach Sean Payton praised NIx for his ability to protect the ball and extend plays.

“I had made this comment earlier when we drafted him — when you watch him play, you don’t feel like you are in harm’s way,” Payton said after the win in New Orleans. “He is tough to sack. He has good ball location. He makes a lot of plays with his feet. He has some big play opportunities.

“There is confidence that you get as a play-caller that allows you to be more aggressive. We wanted to come out tonight in that mindset.”

Nix’s rushing ability gives defense’s one more element of the offense to worry about, and it gives Payton another weapon to utilize in his scheme.

“I think that he’s a little bit faster than maybe we anticipated even coming out from a running standpoint,” Payton said Monday. “So it does give you some flexibility particularly on third down or in the red zone.”

Nix has rushed 47 times for 255 yards and three touchdowns through seven games this season. At that pace, Nix is on track to end his rookie season with 619 rushing yards, which would rank second in franchise history only behind Tim Tebow (who rushed for 660 yards in 2011).

Run, Bo, run!

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Nik Bonitto makes Broncos history by matching a Von Miller stat

Nik Bonitto is the first Broncos pass rusher since Von Miller (2018) to record at least one sack in five straight games.

After recording three tackles, three quarterback hits, one tackle for a loss and one sack in a 33-10 win over the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto has now recorded a sack in five straight games.

Bonitto is the first player in franchise history to record a sack in five consecutive games since Von Miller did so in 2018 (and 2017 and 2015). Miller holds the team’s all-time record with six straight games recording at least one sack (2018).

As a team, the Broncos have totaled 28 sacks this season, which leads the league going into Sunday’s games (the New York Giants are second with 26). Vance Joseph’s defense recorded six sacks against the Saints, marking the fifth straight game that Denver has totaled at least three sacks. The last time that happened for the Broncos was in 2015.

Denver’s 28 sacks are the third-most through seven weeks in franchise history, and the most since 2015. The Broncos have 12 players with at least half a sack this fall with Bonitto (five), Jonathon Cooper (4.5) and Zach Allen (4.0) leading the way.

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