Entering the final game of the 2025 NFL season, the Brockton were looking to wrap up the top seed in the conference. On top of trying to lock down the AFC’s best record, the Broncos were also looking to tighten up a few screws before hitting the postseason. With all of their starters still playing against the Chargers, it was going to be a great chance to work out some kinks before the playoffs.
The Broncos had a few areas of concern hitting into play, especially considering the poor performance of their defense lately. Despite those poor performances, one specific area of concern had started to see some improvement. After the Broncos had struggled to take away the football all year, they had started to turn a corner on that front in December.
With the takeaway issues beginning to settle down, the Broncos were looking to take that solution to the next step. If the Broncos are going to make a deep run into the playoffs, they are going to need to be able to start scoring points on the other two phases of the game, and specifically on the defensive side. The Broncos finally got their first defensive score of the year on Sunday against the Chargers, and it could be a sign of things to come the rest of the month.
Ja'Quan McMillian scored the Broncos' first defensive touchdown of the season
Early on in the Broncos' victory over the Chargers in Week 18, Ja'Quan McMillian picked off Los Angeles backup quarterback Trey Lance and took it the distance for his second pick-six in as many seasons. McMillian has become something of a takeaway machine, with two interceptions since Week 11. It was the first defensive score for the Broncos since McMillian himself picked off Jameis Winston on Monday Night Football at the end of the 2024 season.
The Broncos defense had just 12 takeaways coming into the season, but have seen that number jump in recent weeks. Denver intercepted Green Bay's Jordan Love twice in Denver, which ties the best mark of the season for the group. The Broncos are beginning to take the ball away again, and converted one into their first defensive score of the season on Sunday.
The Denver defense is forcing turnovers at a much higher clip, and they are beginning to see the results of that development. They forced a duo on Sunday against the Chargers and were able to score thanks to McMillian's legs. If Denver can continue to force more turnovers and create havoc on the defensive side of the ball, they could find themselves as a force in the playoffs.