Denver Broncos' suffocating defense seems to only be getting better
The Denver Broncos defense is off to a stellar start in the 2024 NFL Season, and the unit only seems to be getting better. The Broncos sacked Baker Mayfield seven times in Week 3 and only allowed seven points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not only was this the best defensive performance by the Denver Broncos in quite some time, but this was one of the more complete wins in the post- Super Bowl 50 era.
The offense lit the Bucs' defense up, and that unit could finally be showing some life. However, let's focus in on the defense a bit, as the unit has not just be good in 2024; no, they've been great and are among the best in football as we close out Week 3 of the 2024 NFL Season.
Denver has 11 sacks thus far, which ranks as tied for the 4th-most in the NFL. The Seahawks, Saints, and Packers also have 11 sacks on the year. The secondary is allowing just 133.3 yards per game, which ranks 3rd in the NFL, only trailing the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks.
I can keep going...
They have four takeaways on the season, which is tied for the 4th-most in the NFL. The Broncos are also allowing just 15.3 points per game, which is good for the 6th-best mark in the NFL. The defensive front is much improved from a year ago, and Vance Joseph, the team's defensive coordinator, obviously deserves a ton of credit.
He's calling plays like a mad-man and is putting his players in the best possible positions to succeed. And it's not like Denver has played slouches, either. They've faced Geno Smith, Justin Fields, and Baker Mayfield. Depending on who you ask, those are three of the more underrated quarterbacks in the NFL.
Fixing the defense was a huge need for the Broncos heading into the 2024 NFL Offseason. The additions they've made are already paying off, and already in-house players like Riley Moss, Jonathon Cooper, and Zach Allen have taken a step forward. We may be getting to a point where this defense is going to be able to keep Denver in games almost weekly.
And if the offense can keep progressing, you just never know how sneaky good this team can be. With 14 games still left, the Broncos have a ton of chances to get even better, but this also gives them a ton of chances to go backwards. To me, it really feels like there is something cooking on both sides of the ball, so there is a bright future ahead for this franchise.