The Denver Broncos defense is one of the best in the NFL, and the unit is largely responsible for the Broncos being the top seed in the AFC at this point. Against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, though, something different happened that tested Denver in the red zone.
Nick Kosmider of The Athletic did a piece on this yesterday, and it was revealing, to say the least. According to Kosmider, Denver’s red-zone defense is covering up a problem, or at least was against the Packers.
Specifically, Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love was able to breeze down the field against the Broncos, and Kosmider used a late first quarter drive as an example. Love hit multiple receivers who were running free, until a pass breakup by cornerback Riley Moss on a ball intended for receiver Romeo Doubs that otherwise would have been a touchdown, and the result was a short field goal.
“It’s just a mindset,” pass rusher Nik Bonitto said. “VJ (defensive coordinator Vance Joseph) tells us, ‘No matter where the ball’s spotted, no matter how they get there, they just can’t get in.’ I feel like everybody has bought into that mindset of, ‘They have to earn it to get in.'”
The numbers back up the red-zone performance. According to Kosmider, Denver has allowed opponents to score touchdown on just 38.5 percent of their drives that get inside the 20-yard line, and the game between the Broncos and the next best red-zone defense, that of the Los Angeles Rams, is huge. Coach Sean Payton knows the numbers, but he’s focused on the ones on the scoreboard.
“Even at halftime, I get the question that I have to answer from the (CBS broadcast) production crew, and it’s all about the yards (allowed),” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “I’m saying, ‘Are we paying attention to the field goals?’ We thought that would be important. They’re a real good red zone team. In the second half, our front began to, on both sides of the ball, control the line of scrimmage.”
Kosmider went on to break down how the Broncos red-zone defense works, but there’s another point to be made here. The Packers were able to drive easily because they were one of the few offenses in the league that was able to protect their quarterback from Denver’s fierce pass rush, at least until things tightened up in the red zone.
Providing that level of protection may not be something lesser offenses can do, but it is something the Broncos will see more of in the playoffs as they step up and consistently have to play teams as good or better than Green Bay.