The Denver Broncos' defense is off to a historic pace in terms of sacks and yardage allowed, and turned in a legendary performance on Sunday in London. Denver did just about everything they wanted to against Justin Fields except for one key area: forcing turnovers. Across six games, the Broncos have struggled to force turnovers in general, amassing just three so far this year.
The simple fact is that the Broncos are going to need to force turnovers if they are going to be competitive in the AFC West this season. Currently, three teams all sit within a game of each other in the hunt for the AFC West crown, and Denver has forced the fewest turnovers of the group. The Broncos are entering a softer stretch of their schedule, and a lack of turnovers keeps lesser teams in games.
Despite their lack of turnovers, the Broncos remain a historic defensive unit through six games. Their defense has carried them to a few wins already, including Sunday's ugly win over the Jets. If the Broncos want to push deep into playoff football after the New Year, they are going to need takeaways. Thankfully for Vance Joseph and his unit, they are set to face an opponent prone to turning the ball over.
The Broncos should be able to force multiple takeaways against the Giants in Denver
This Sunday's matchup in Denver presents an interesting conundrum for both the Broncos and the Giants: the Giants turn the ball over frequently, and the Broncos don't take the ball away frequently.
The Giants have turned the rock over eight times this season, with both starting quarterbacks contributing to those issues. Meanwhile, the Broncos have just four takeaways on the season, with just one being an interception.
The question from here is simple: which trend is more likely to continue? Given the wealth of talent and takeaway history on the Broncos' defense, mixed with an offense that leans heavily on rookies, the Broncos figure to be able to take the ball away from the Giants a few times on Sunday afternoon.
The important stat here is from the last time the Giants played on the road. When the Giants visited the Saints in Week 5, they gave the ball away five times, a greater total than Denver's season takeaway total. In fact, the Giants average two turnovers per road game this year, compared to less than one per home game.
Factoring in the unfriendly environment that is Mile High Stadium, the Broncos should find themselves in a prime position to take the ball out of Jaxson Dart's hands in Denver.