The 2025 Denver Broncos are going to go down as one of the best pass rush teams in NFL history, and still have a realistic chance to set the single-season sack record when it is all said and done. The pass rush is the identity of this team, and they employ some of the NFL's premier sackers and quarterback hunters. When they aren't sacking, they're leading the league in pressure and quarterback hits.
As the season has gone on, the Broncos' pass rush has become a little less effective. This is to be expected to an extent, considering the historic pace they were sacking at and that the league was always going to adjust to what they were doing. The Broncos are still sacking the quarterback at a high rate, but have seen their pass disappear for extended periods of time.
When the Broncos' pass rush disappears, it creates interesting situations for their defensive backs and the rest of their unit. The identity of this Broncos defense lies within their pass rush, as other teams are beginning to expose when they struggle to hit the quarterback. In recent weeks, the pass rush has struggled to hit the quarterback for extended periods of time, and opposing offenses are taking advantage of it.
The Denver Broncos pass rush has vanished for entire halves, and opponents have taken advantage
Looking at the Broncos' defense, they have struggled the most in specific halves over their last two games. In the first half against the Packers and the second half against the Jaguars, opposing offenses did whatever they wanted to Denver. More specifically, the Broncos' pass rush was almost nowhere to be seen, and neither quarterback felt pressure.
If the Broncos’ pass rush can’t get to the quarterback as quickly as they need to, it puts far more pressure on the Broncos' secondary to keep up their coverage. Any secondary that is routinely asked to hold coverage for over five seconds fairly consistently is going to get burned more often than usual. This was a parent during both of those halves, as Broncos secondary defenders were getting burned in coverage and missing one-on-one tackles in the open field.
The Broncos' defense is still arguably one of the best in the NFL, but the cracks in the armor have been on full display over the past few weeks. The Broncos have begun to face the better offenses in the NFL, in their defense has been exposed far more than they have proven themselves. If the Broncos' defense is going to be routinely allowing over 25 points a game down the stretch, they could find themselves making a quick exit from the playoffs this season.