Tag: sacks

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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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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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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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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Steelers’ T.J. Watt named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

T.J. Watt conquered the Giants on Monday Night Football in Week 8. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his elite play.

T.J. Watt is inevitable.  Opposing quarterbacks can hope and pray to contain him, but there is no stopping the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year.  QB Daniel Jones found this out the hard way when he was on the receiving end of two-sacks and a forced fumble from Watt in Week 8.

For his efforts in the Steelers’ victory over the Giants—compiling seven tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery—Watt has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Pittsburgh fans have enjoyed a plethora of elite pass-rushers in the Steel City, but T.J. personifies a hard-working attitude both on and off the field, arguably more than any Steelers player before him. 

In earning what is now his eighth-AFC Defensive Player of the Week award, Watt’s accomplishments continue to further cement his place among the all-time great defenders to ever play in the NFL.

While Watt is playing at an elite level, his pursuit of another D.P.O.Y award in 2024 is not his ultimate goal, but is instead to bring his team their seventh Super Bowl championship.

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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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This stat says Saints DB is the NFL’s most disruptive player through 7 weeks

Alontae Taylor has made a living in the backfield this season. Through seven weeks, he leads the league in creating “havoc plays”

The 33rd Team has a metric called havoc plays. A havoc play is any tackle for a loss, sack, interception, forced fumble or pass breakup. Instead of individualizing each stat, they compiled them into one stat.

Through seven games, Alontae Taylor has become a master of disruption. The New Orleans Saints defensive back leads the NFL in havoc plays, with 16.

Due to Paulson Adebo’s injury, Taylor’s role will change slightly. He’ll play opposite Marshon Lattimore in base defense. In nickel, Taylor will slide inside and Kool-Aid McKinstry will play outside.

The change in role only increases Taylor’s ceiling for havoc plays because he won’t have to come off the field. He still gets to retain his spot in the slot which is what sets him up for so many havoc plays.

Playing insides gives him more opportunities to blitz and be more aggressive in the run game. Taylor is second on the team 3.5 sacks this year. One of those sacks led to a strip sack of Jalen Hurts.

In addition to being a leader in sacks, Taylor also leads the team in tackles for a loss and is second in pass breakups. That last number in particular should increase by playing on the outside in base formations.

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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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Is T.J. Watt running away with the Defensive Player of the Year race?

After two-forced fumbles and a dominant Week 6 performance overall, is T.J Watt running away with the D.P.O.Y race?

The wounds of the ‘Steel City’ faithful haven’t quite healed since T.J. Watt was snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year last season. To make matters worse, the award went to perhaps the most disliked man in all of Pittsburgh—Myles Garrett. Garrett’s impact on the Browns’ defense couldn’t be denied, but he was voted the 2023 D.P.O.Y with stats that, if Watt had produced them, Steelers fans would have considered it a down year. 

Fast forward to the current season, and Watt finds himself in a similar position—lower-than-usual sack numbers but dominant performances week in and week out. He’s currently in the top fifteen for sacks and leads this group of pass rushers in tackles. Watt also ranks in the top five for tackles for loss and is tied for first in quarterback hits, while also second in forced fumbles.

If Garrett won his award for being a game-wrecker in 2023, then Watt should absolutely be considered the favorite to win in 2024, as his presence on the field allows the defense not only to force turnovers but also to take over the game entirely. 

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