Digging Into the Denver Defense

The Titans start the season against arguably the best defense in the NFL.

We keep saying the Broncos defense is a rough place for the Titans to start with a rookie quarterback - why? Well, it’s the combination of elite personnel and aggressive scheme that makes it hard to game plan for. I mean, you could have perfect execution and the guys across the field from you could just flat out be better. That’s not a knock on the Titans, by the way. That’s pretty much any offense in the NFL. And, even if you can go body for body with them, there’s a good chance they get you out of rhythm. Factor in the altitude in Denver and yeah! It’s a hell of a place for Cam Ward to embark upon his NFL journey.

What I noticed right away watching this defense was the strength in the secondary - it’s what enables them to play man coverage seamlessly, and they have some safeties that can fly to the ball and deliver a big hit. Patrick Surtain II is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Dude is already a two-time All Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler. He has the pedigree for this, and he’s as smooth as they come in coverage. But, Ja’Quan McMillian and Riley Moss deserve some love as well. They really round out this unit. Throw in that they drafted Jahdae Barron, and man, this corner room is loaded. They added the underrated Talanoa Hufanga to the safety room to pair with the hard-hitting Brandon Jones. This secondary is legit. I joked when the Broncos drafted Barron that what they’re doing with the defensive backs is akin to what Philadelphia is doing with its defensive line.

They have the front to go with it, too. Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto can get after quarterbacks, and they added a guy who, when healthy, is one of the best linebackers in the game in Dre Greenlaw to the mix. I mean, they just have studs at every level. They may be underrated names, but the Broncos have the horses (no pun intended) to run defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s scheme. The hallmark of what Joseph wants to run in Denver is an aggressive attacking style with a high blitz rate and man coverage behind it. In principle, the added bodies at the line of scrimmage clog up run lanes, coverage is tight for the first few seconds of the play, and the pass rush eventually gets home. Even in plays that don’t end in an outright sack, it’s clear that quarterbacks are uncomfortable against the pressure and are forced to look through all of their options just to find someone coming open.