Tag: Sack

Bo Nix is avoiding sacks better than any Broncos quarterback since 2016

Bo Nix hasn’t been sacked in consecutive weeks, marking the first time since 2016 a Broncos QB has been kept upright for two straight games.

The Denver Broncos are on a two-game winning streak and, perhaps not coincidentally, rookie quarterback Bo Nix has no turnovers and no sacks during that two-game stretch.

This marks the first time since 2016 that the Broncos have gone two straight games without their quarterback taking a sack. Russell Wilson certainly never managed such a feat in Denver. Neither did Teddy Bridgewater, nor Drew Lock, nor Brandon Allen, nor Joe Flacco, nor Case Keenum … you get the idea.

The offensive line obviously deserves credit for keeping Nix upright, and the quarterback has praised the unit for their protection.

“That was huge,” Nix said Sunday when asked about not being sacked. “It starts with up front. They picked up everything. I wasn’t ever really running around, had a good pocket all day. And I think it helped that we were able to run the ball, and they were kind of getting on their heels a little bit. It just sets up the pass when you can run it and get to manageable third downs, manageable second down and shorts, that’s where you want to be as an offense, and that’s what we did. That’s why we moved the ball better in the second half.”

The offensive line has certainly played well, but coach Sean Payton credits Nix for the team’s two-game streak without allowing a sack.

“I think the sacks statistic by and large is more a quarterback statistic than an offensive line statistic,” Payton said Monday. “There’s some quarterbacks that are more difficult to protect for and some that aren’t. We saw all the time on college tape [that] he was someone that got rid of the ball. It would become frustrating to rush if you will because of his ability to throw it away or to flush and find an answer or an incompletion. It’s something that he’s done well throughout his career.

“Then certainly with the offensive line, that’s a pretty good front we just played. There were a handful of match up concerns and protections issues that we discussed. If you said to me when the game ended that he was not going to have any sacks and Aaron [Rodgers] would have five, I would’ve felt that was a little challenging.”

Overall, Nix has four sacks through the first four games of the year, the lowest total for a Denver quarterback through the first four weeks since 2014. If he protects the ball and avoids pressure, Nix will continue to trend in the right direction for the Broncos.

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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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Charles Omenihu reacts to Chris Jones’ two-sack performance vs. Chargers

#Chiefs DL Charles Omenihu reacted to Chris Jones’ two-sack performance against the #Chargers in Week 4.

The Kansas City Chiefs relied on their defense to hold the Los Angeles Chargers to just 10 points in Week 4, and injured pass rusher Charles Omenihu followed all the action while recovering from a knee injury he sustained last season.

Omenihu, who was active on Twitter during Kansas City’s game on Sunday afternoon, was particularly excited about the performance of star defensive lineman Chris Jones, who earned a shoutout from the former San Francisco 49er.

Jones sacked Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert twice and was among the Chiefs’ most disruptive players in the defensive masterclass.

Check out Omenihu’s reaction to Jones’ outstanding showing below:

Though Kansas City’s offense has plenty of room for improvement, the defending champions have proven that they can rely on their defense to win games.

Expect the Chiefs’ pass rush to get even better if Omenihu gets back into Kansas City’s starting lineup with Jones later this season.

Cameron Jordan searching for his first sack vs. Falcons post-Matt Ryan

Cameron Jordan is searching for his first sack against the Falcons since they traded Matt Ryan. Maybe Kirk Cousins can help him end that drought:

No one in NFL history has sacked a single quarterback more than Cameron Jordan has sacked former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. With the New Orleans Saints traveling to Atlanta on Sunday, this feels like an appropriate time to remind all Falcons fans of this fact.

Jordan and Ryan were both NFL iron men. During their 11-year overlap in the NFC South, neither of them missed a Saints versus Falcons game. In those 22 matchups, Jordan took Ryan to the turf 24 times, though since he split two sacks with other players, his official count is just 23.

The most consistent stretch came slightly before Ryan left Atlanta for the Indianapolis Colts. Jordan registered three consecutive two-sack games. He failed to register a sack in the next game, then exploded for seven sacks in the following two games. This six-game stretch accounted for 13 of the 23 sacks against Ryan.

Oddly enough, Jordan hasn’t registered a sack against Atlanta since Ryan left in 2022. Kirk Cousins is closer to Ryan’s level of mobility (and Jordan has 3.5 sacks against Cousins in six matchups, including the playoffs), so maybe that could help Jordan end the drought.

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John Franklin-Myers had a funny reaction to Broncos’ seven sacks in Week 3

“You get a sack, you get a sack, I wonder if this how Oprah feel?” John Franklin-Myers tweeted after the Broncos totaled seven sacks.

The Denver Broncos‘ defense dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday with seven sacks and two takeaways.

Following a 26-7 victory on the road, Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers had a funny reaction to the team’s impressive sack total.

“You get a sack, you get a sack, I wonder if this how Oprah feel😂 VICTORY MONDAY!” Franklin-Myers tweeted on Sept. 23.

https://twitter.com/J_FranklinMyers/status/1838389156096979165

Denver’s defense ranks second in pass rush win rate this season (60%), according to ESPN (via Mile High Report’s Joe Mahoney). The team’s 11 sacks through three weeks are tied for fifth-most in the NFL.

Franklin-Myers has totaled seven tackles (two behind the line of scrimmage) and one sack through his first three games with the Broncos (66 snaps). JFM recorded his first sack as a Bronco against Baker Mayfield on Sunday.

JFM now has 20.5 sacks in his career. He totaled 17.5 sacks in four seasons with the New York Jets before being traded to Denver this spring. Franklin-Myers is now set to face his former team when the Broncos travel to New Jersey for Sunday’s showdown with the Jets.

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Broncos’ offensive line was excellent on Sunday

The Broncos’ offensive line did not allow any sacks on Sunday as Bo Nix was kept upright in a convincing win over the Bucs.

The Denver Broncos‘ defense harrassed Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield on Sunday, finishing the game with seven sacks and two takeaways. While Mayfield had a rough day at the office, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix was kept clean by Denver’s offensive line.

Nix was not sacked once — thanks in part to his own pocket awareness — and the offensive line played well despite losing right tackle Mike McGlinchey to a knee injury last week. Alex Palczewski filled in on Sunday and he performed well, helping Denver’s offense have its best game of the season.

“[W]e had protection, we had a really good plan relative to getting in and out of some audibles,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after a 26-7 win. “Bo handled it really well. We were going to have answers if [pressure] came. … [The Bucs] are counting on takeaways, they are counting on sacks, they are counting on disruption. We just had to do everything to prevent that.”

Mission accomplished.

The team’s interior offensive linemen — center Luke Wattenberg and guards Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz — did not allow a single pressure, according to NFL Next Gen Stats (via the Denver Post‘s Ryan McFadden).

If he continues getting that kind of protection up front, Nix will be set up for success.

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From the UFL to NFL, Dondrea Tillman is making the most of his opportunity with Broncos

Dondrea Tillman joined the Broncos after winning three titles with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions. He recorded two sacks in his NFL debut.

Dondrea Tillman has had quite a football journey.

After playing college football at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Tillman spent two years out of football. He then got an opportunity to play in The Spring League in 2021.

The pass rusher’s performance in that league impressed coaches from the Birmingham Stallions, who used a third-round pick to select Tillman in the 2022 USFL draft. Tillman went on to win three straight titles with the Stallions (two in the USFL and one in the UFL this spring).

Tillman dominated spring football and the Denver Broncos signed him following the conclusion of the UFL’s 2024 season. After the Broncos lost Baron Browning to a foot injury, Tillman was promoted to the 53-man roster ahead of the team’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3.

Making his NFL debut on Sunday, Tillman became the first Denver player since at least 1970 to record two sacks in his debut.

https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1838247470415155682

“We weren’t going to just let the other three play 60 snaps or 50 snaps,” coach Sean Payton said of the outside linebacker rotation. “A guy like that was coming up, he’s got to be playing in the kicking game and then getting snaps on defense. I was pleased with his effort.

“He’s strong. I’ve mentioned earlier in the week, we’ve seen a lot from him. I was excited to see him take advantage of the opportunity.”

The Broncos’ defense dominated from start to finish with seven sacks and two takeaways in a 26-7 victory. Tillman finished the day with three total tackles and his two sacks resulted in the loss of 18 yards for Tampa Bay.

https://twitter.com/mikeklis9news/status/1837950675134677318

“It feels great,” Tillman said after the game, via the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel. “It’s been a lot of time. I’ve been waiting for this. It’s a dream come true. It’s really a blessing.”

After impressing in his first NFL game, the 26-year-old Tillman figures to remain a part of Denver’s pass rush rotation going forward.

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WATCH: Alontae Taylor grabs his fourth sack of the season

Alontae Taylor grabbed his fourth sack of the season in Week 3. He’s almost halfway there to setting an NFL record:

Update: This story was updated to add new information. The NFL split this  sack between Alontae Taylor and Carl Granderson, so Taylor is at 3.5 sacks this season.

The New Orleans Saints pressure has been strong through the first few weeks of the season, especially so from defensive back Alontae Taylor, who snagged his fourth sack of the 2024 season already. He is already well on his way to the single-season sacks record for a defensive back, which is held by Jamal Adams, with 9.5 sacks back in 2020.

Taylor has gotten almost completely free on his blitzes, too, with no one covering him in multiple instances. If he can continue this pace, it could be an outstanding season for the young cornerback, and for the pass-rush unit as well. We’ve seen Dennis Allen blitz his nickel corners and safeties before but Taylor is quickly catching up on guys like Roman Harper.

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Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo describes Chris Jones’ influence on games

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo describes Chris Jones’ influence on games | @EdEastonJr

The impact of star players doesn’t always show on the stat sheet. The Kansas City Chiefs have several players who fit that role and continue to change games.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke with the media on Thursday, discussing Chris Jones’ influence on games.

“He’s (Chris Jones) attracting a lot of double teams right now. You guys (the media) have probably done your film study, so you can see that, right? Yeah, he does.” said Spagnuolo. “I mean, we try as much as we can to get him on one person, but that’s hard to do. People tend not to let that happen. One of the things we probably need to do a better job of is get into some longer third downs.”

Jones recently had half a sack taken away from his assistance in taking down Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. He has worked well with double teams, allowing teammates like George Karlaftis to take advantage of matchups.

“I was sharing with the(defensive) unit this morning that, if I did my math right, I think we’ve only had 19 third-and-two plus (situations). That’s really not enough in the game,” said Spagnuolo. “That’s only nine and a half a game, but that means you have to play better on first and second down. That’s where this team (Atlanta Falcons) is going to become really challenging because we know they run the ball really well.”

The Chiefs will rely on Jones’ dominance while on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.

Fans react to Bo Nix being sacked ‘by T.J. Watt’s shadow’

“Bo Nix just got sacked by TJ Watt’s aura.”

In the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix was sacked by pass rusher T.J. Watt. That’s not an abnormal sentence.

The nature of the sack was abnormal.

Watt rushed around the edge, beating Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey and taking a swipe at Nix while falling to the ground. The quarterback seemed to be barely touched but lost his balance and went down for a sack.

One fan commented on Twitter/X that Nix was sacked by Watt’s shadow:

“This makes Madden glitches look realistic,” another fan wrote.

In real time it did appear as if Watt missed Nix:

One fan commented that Watt sacked Nix “by breathing on him.” More than one fan said Nix was sacked by Watt’s aura.

Nix finished the game 20-of-35 passing for 246 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Watt recorded one sack in Pittsburgh’s 13-6 win.

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