The Denver Broncos have landed the top seed in the AFC, and they’re currently wrapping up their bye week as they wait to see who’ll be coming to Mile High to offer their first playoff challenge. Coach Sean Payton talked about having some things to “clean up” after Denver’s lackluster win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and one subject in particular has been a big part of the discussion.
"We've been talking about turnovers, turnovers, turnovers," said Broncos quarterback Bo Nix in a piece written by Jeff Legwold of ESPN.
This may seem surprising given how dominant the Broncos defense was this year, but Denver didn’t exactly excel at creating turnovers.The Broncos actually finished at -3 in their turnover differential, which left them tied for 19th in the league. The specific numbers included ten interceptions and four fumbles, and Payton has been talking about it for a while now.
"[Payton] has been harping on it all year," Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto after the win over the Chargers. "All week, he [was] mad at the defense, so we've been hearing from him about the takeaways, and he even played a little video of all the takeaways we've had on the defense [the past three seasons]. ... We were due for a couple."
Payton hasn’t just been harping on it, however. He has data to back up this particular talking point—specifically, the fact hat only one team, the 2021 Los Angeles Rams, has gone on to win the Super Bowl with a negative turnover margin in the playoffs.
On the other side of the turnover margin equation, 13 teams with the best turnover margin went on to win the Super Bowl, and the stats are also positive for teams that finished second or third in that particular margin.
So how do the Broncos actually get there? According to defensive tackle Zach Allen, the answer lies in the fundamentals.
"We talk about it, get tips, get deflections, knock the ball out, rally to the ball," Broncos defensive tackle Zach Allen said. "I think the big thing is to keep getting in the right spots, keep doing the right things. Play good defense and good things happen."
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been even more specific about what needs to happen. His primary point of emphasis is on good fundament defense, but Joseph’s playoff mantra is “attacking the elbow, attacking the ball more” when the Broncos get after the quarterback.
"We haven't done a good enough job of that this season,” he said.