5 Broncos whose stock is soaring amidst stunning playoff run

2. Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator

There's probably no bigger reason for the Denver Broncos' miraculous turnaround this season than the play of the defense. Considering this season went from how quickly can the Denver Broncos fire Vance Joseph? to is Vance Joseph going to be a head coach next year? I would say that this recent stretch by the defense has been one of the best stories in the entire league.

The Broncos gave up 70 points in Miami earlier this season, and proceeded to become one of the league's most dominant defenses from Week 6-present. They've allowed just 17.3 points per game over that timeframe. If that average held up over the course of the entire season, the Broncos would have the 3rd-best scoring defense in the NFL. And at this point, they have played at this level for a majority of the season. The first five games are officially in the minority.

Not only have the Broncos played at the level of a top-3 scoring defense over the last seven weeks, but they have forced more turnovers this season than any other team in the league. A bulk of that production came from Week 7-Week 12, but Denver's 22 turnovers forced is the best mark in the NFL.

Vance Joseph deserves a ton of credit for the way that unit has played, obviously, and the way he's put players in position to succeed. Some of Joseph's blitz packages in recent weeks have been as creative as we've seen in Denver. It's truly been a joy to watch.