Until now, the Denver Broncos team sack race has mostly been a numbers game. They’ve been chasing the Chicago Bears’ all-time record, which was 72 sacks back in 1984. The Broncos are still on track to equal or break that record, with 55 sacks in 13 games, which is two more than the Bears had when they originally set the record.
But the sack record really starts to mean something now. They’ve been posting numbers sacks against teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, but now they’re entering the toughest part of their schedule, and they need sacks to win games, not just set records. The Broncos have upcoming games that include multiple playoff threats, including the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, and even the Kansas City Chiefs.
Start with this Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, a team that will be Denver's toughest test in a while. According to an ESPN written by Jeff Legworld and Daniel Oyefusi, the Packers have given up just 18 sacks so far, which is one away from the fewest in the NFL.
Part of the reason for this is Packers quarterback Jordan Love. He’s tough to get down, as Love proved yesterday against the Chicago Bears, who could only sack the Green Bay quarterback once for 14 yards. Love was efficient and economical against the Bears, going 17-for-25 for 234 yards to go with 234 yards and three touchdown passes.
Love is mostly fundamentally sound, although he has been known to go off half-cocked when he sees a big play that really isn’t quite there. He did that a couple of times against Chicago, and it nearly cost the Packers the 14-3 early lead they built up.
The Green Bay quarterback is also dangerous with his legs, and that’s something the Broncos need to be concerned about. One of the things that happened during Denver’s narrow 27-26 overtime win against the Washington Commanders was the Marcus Mariota gashed the Denver defense when he saw linebacker Nik Bonitto going wide to get to the passer. As soon as Mariota saw that lane open up, he took off and gashed the Broncos defense.
Love is capable of the same kinds of tricks, and the Packers are a lot more fundamentally sound than the Raiders. Denver’s pass rushers will have to occupy rush lanes as they get after the passer, and that’s something to watch as they continue to chase the Bears all-time sack record.