The cast of the Denver Broncos’ Defense have begun to shine, specifically in third-down situations (Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE).

Not since a 33-24 win over the Oakland Raiders during the Rich Gannon era have the Denver Broncos held an opponent to zero third-down conversions.  That changed after last Sunday’s dominating win over the Carolina Panthers.

The Broncos’ defense sacked Panthers Quarterback Cam Newton a total of seven times, forced a safety, picked off two passes, and kept the Panthers from converting on third down.  In fact since the Broncos’ historic comeback versus the San Diego Chargers, the defense has done a sparkling job of getting off the field when the Dial-A-Down says “3.”

Prior to the undisputed turning point of the season also know as “halftime of the game in San Diego,” the Broncos’ defense was plagued by giving up big plays on third down, specifically in third-and-long situations.  Through five-plus games, the defense had allowed a 46 percent (38-83) conversion rate on third down.  Since the end of the second quarter in San Diego, the Broncos have allowed 9 third-down conversions in 45 tries by opposing offenses for a 20 percent success rate.  In fact, since that point, 12 of the Broncos’ 17 sacks have come on third down, which is no doubt what Jack Del Rio was salivating about when he took over this above-average pass rush.  Astounding, that a defense that was consistently getting gashed on third downs just weeks ago, is now garnering movie poster-like praises.

“At a high level.” – Bill Williamson, ESPN

“Fundamentally sound.” – Gary Horton, Scouts Inc.

“Suffocating.” – Mike Klis, The Denver Post

“Play-making, opportunistic.” – Kim Constantinesco, Predominantly Orange

Now doesn’t that sound like a fun program to watch?

Enough being cute.  How entertaining is it to root for a ball hawking, quarterback-pressuring defense that steals the show like no other defense has in Denver for a very long time?  To quote the wise words of Terrell Owens, “Get your popcorn ready.”

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Denver Broncos cornerback Tracy Porter and his teammates on defense will look to make improvements on last week’s win (Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE).

The Denver Broncos will play their second prime-time game in as many weeks in Atlanta against the Falcons.  Peyton Manning and the Broncos’ no-huddle offense is all the rage, but the performance of their defense might just be what swings the outcome of these two outstanding offenses.  Here are three defensive keys for the Broncos start 2012 2-0.

Take away the run game and force Matt Ryan to throw:  Seems crazy, right?  Make an elite quarterback throw more?  Not exactly crazy.  Over the course of Ryan’s career, he is 3-13 when he throws 40 or more times.  When the Falcons are unbalanced, the team does not ride well on his right arm.  This is in line with what the Broncos did to Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.  The Broncos held the Steelers to 75 yards on the ground, made Big Ben throw 41 times and iced the game with a Tracy Porter pick-six.  Do the same this week, expect similar results.

Get off the field: Last week the Broncos forced the Steelers into an absurd 19 third down situations.  The only issue was that the Steelers converted an equally absurd 11 of those 19.  First and second down performance was excellent for the Broncos’ defense; third down was not.  The Broncos have to force the Falcons’ offense off the field with more consistency.  The Falcons were 5-10 on third down conversions last week and were able to shred the Kansas City Chiefs‘ defense for 40 points.  The Broncos will need to be just as stout on first and second down and keep the Falcons to under a 50% conversion rate on third down.

Force turnovers: One of many issues for the Broncos’ defense over the past few years has been the inability to force turnovers, but last Porter’s interception was as timely as it gets.  Pardon the mixed-sport analogy, but it was the football equivalent of a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning.  It effectively shut the door on the Steelers’ comeback.  The Broncos will need to draw inspiration from Porter and go after the ball.  Obviously, turnover ratio has a huge influence on the outcome of a football game.  This week’s matchup is no different.  Dating back to last season, the Falcons are 11-7.  8 of those wins have come when they win the turnover battle and five of their losses have come when they have lost that battle.  The Broncos will put themselves in a great position to win by forcing mistakes.

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Jonathan Goodwin (59) and Elvis Dumervil (92) and Wesley Woodyard (52) dive for the ball during the first quarter. (Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE)

As Peyton Manning, Eric Decker, and the rest of the Denver Broncos’ first string offense hogs the highlight reel, we can’t forget about the team’s first string defense.

If preseason play has taught us anything, it’s that the Broncos defensive performance drops off once the first string leaves the game. Against the San Francisco 49ers, the No. 1 unit gave up just 14 rushing yards on 9 carries, and 83 total yards in the first half of play. Keep in mind that Alex Smith’s 44 yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis constituted more than half of those yards. The Broncos defense also gave up just three first half first downs while the offense had 16 first half first downs.

“Everything was kind of going our way,” rookie defensive tackle Derek Wolfe said. “The ball was falling into our hands…We executed what we were practicing all week.”

The Broncos defense opened things up like this: On first down, Von Miller brought Frank Gore down in the backfield for a 5-yard loss. On second down, Smith completed a 9-yard pass to Michael Crabtree, and he was taken down by Wesley Woodyard. Then, as Smith called for the ball in the shotgun, Elvis Dumervil sacked him to force the 49ers to go three and out in less than two minutes.

On the Broncos second defensive series, Smith fumbled the ball on the fourth play of the drive, and Woodyard recovered. After that, the Broncos scored their 17th point of the game and before the first quarter had to even come to a close.

“It feels pretty good, but it is a whole game,” Miller said. “There is four quarters in a game and we still have a lot of tuning to do. I am sure we will take advantage of these next practice, we will be alright.”

As a whole the Broncos gave up 139 yards on the ground which shows a weakness in the backups regarding their run defense.

Even though the Broncos reserves couldn’t measure up to the output that the No. 1 group put forth, the team still played better than the week before in which they gave up 228 rushing yards to the Seattle Seahawks.

Leading the team in tackles against the 49ers was undrafted rookie out of Kansas Steven Johnson who had 6 tackles. Woodyard’s fumble recovery gives the Broncos a fumble recovery in each of their three preseason contests this season.

The Broncos defense not only has to adjust to a new coach, but to a new offense. The fast-paced offense doesn’t give the defense much time to rest, but that’s something that they’ll have to adjust to.

“Doesn’t matter,” defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson said. “We’ve got to get off the field on third down. Since [the offense] plays no huddle, we’ve got to get adjusted. We attack everything like we’re supposed to, and we’ve got to be accountable for each other.”

Accountability is one theme that has carried over from Dennis Allen’s one-year regime. It’s also something that Jack Del Rio preaches. This season is on everyone, not just the one everyone talks about.

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