Good morning, Broncos Country!
Another week, another test for the Denver Broncos defense.
While it hasn’t been pretty at times for this typically dominant unit, similar to Bo Nix and the offense, it finds a way to make the plays when it matters most. In the comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams, we saw that in spades late in the game, especially from safety Talanoa Hufanga.
The stats may not look pretty at the moment, but the Broncos bend but don’t break. The fact that the defense held Matthew Stafford and the Rams to field goals
is a huge reason Denver was still in the game.
Now comes Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers offense. Through the first three games, this unit is clicking on all cylinders right now. For the Broncos to get the road upset today, the defense will have to make plays and get stops.
“They have a good thing going,” Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said to the media earlier this week. “They’re off to a hot start offensively. I think they lead the league in third-down percentage. They throw a lot of stuff at you offensively. It starts with McCaffrey in the backfield, and what he is able to do not only in the run game, but in the pass game as well. He’s definitely a threat coming out of the backfield.
“Then you have (tight end George) Kittle, and (receiver) Deebo (Samuel Sr.) and all of those guys making plays for them. They also have good perimeter players. It will be a good challenge on the horizon for us. It’s the same system that we’ve been facing these past two weeks, that same Shanahan and (Rams head coach Sean) McVay system. We just have to be ready and understand how they will try to attack us.”
In those first three games, Purdy has yet to be sacked. On top of finding a way to contain McCaffrey in both the running and passing game, getting pressure on Purdy is paramount. However, the key is not to lose containment on the pocket since he can beat defenses with his legs.
“He’s playing at a real high level, very decisive,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said to the media earlier this week. “You never feel … He’s through his progressions fast. Kyle and those guys have done a great job, whether he’s under center or in the gun. The mix of run, play, pass, and dropback is impressive. You see in three weeks, not only no sacks, first in third down, first in red zone, very efficient. He’s making all the throws.”
The biggest challenge for the Broncos defense is McCaffrey and the San Francisco running game. Given Denver’s struggles in the Monday Night Football opener against Kenneth Walker III, you may start to twitch at the thought of this game.
The Broncos have to control the line of scrimmage and tackle.
“He is a Hall of Fame player, and he’s still playing really well, not just in the running game, but in the passing game,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said to the media earlier this week. “I think the third downs, he’s the leading receiver in the first couple breaks. So that’s always tough to have a plan to cover a runner on third downs. Again, they do a great job with scheme to free him up and to get him on those matchups they like. So it’s our job to kind of find the right matchup and have the right calls intact to leverage him.
“With bringing Deebo back to San Fran, they do a great job of kind of swapping those guys. Deebo’s the halfback sometimes; he’s the receiver. So to adjust your coverages and adjust your fronts accordingly to those formations is going to be key for us to win this game. It goes through him obviously, and he’s a fabulous player.”
Added Payton:
“He does so many things well. His football I.Q. is high, his skill set as a receiver, as a runner, all the things that you’re looking for in a good football player, but a really good running back. A lot of it goes through him. When we talk about it, he has those Joker traits, and you wouldn’t just … elite at running, but also receiving, and feel relative to what they’re asking him to do.”
Then, if the Denver defense can force turnovers and steal some possessions for Nix and the offense, that’s a recipe for a victory today. Just as Hufana did against the Rams, which has been the priority for him and the defense since the offseason.
“I think everyone talked about it in general,” Hufanga said to the media. “That is more of a self-reflection. I went back and watched every single snap of every single game. I left a lot out there last year, so for this year, it was a real attack on what I wanted to get done. I spent a lot of time on the JUGS (machine) out here and inside, and I’ve still dropped a few.
“It’s not the most exciting part when you have two that you think can really change the game early on and not put us in that spot. But to be able to finish it out during a time where I haven’t really caught anything yet as a Bronco, it definitely felt pretty good.”
