The Denver Broncos didn’t come away with a victory on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. While the offense was able to generate 28 points, the defense struggled to thwart the Colts’ potent offensive attack led by Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor. Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s showcased his penchant for sending an extra defender to dial up the heat but only were able to take down Jones once on a blitz by Justin Strnad.
That’s a reason to be concerned, nevertheless, there is still a silver-lining.
Even though he didn’t register a sack against the Colts, edge rusher Nik Bonitto was still able to generate quality pressure and added five more to his season total in that respect. According to Pro Football Focus, Bonitto sports the highest pass rush win rate of any edge defender in the National Football League at 33.3-percent. He leads Will Anderson Jr., Joshua Uche, Myles Garrett, and Trey Hendrickson who round out the top five in that respect.
This season, Bonitto’s pass rush grade of 90.7 is third best amongst edge defenders. In two games, he has amassed 11 pressures (fifth best), along with 4 quarterback hits (second best) and 6 hurries (thirteenth) on a total of 40 pass rush snaps. Production wise, the All-Pro has six tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. I’m optimistic he will continue to get better and convert some of those pressures into sacks as the season goes along.
In order for the Broncos to get back on the right track, their vaunted pass rush will have to kick their efforts up a notch against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. They’ve got a great passing attack and one of the best offensive lines in the league. Bonitto’s top-tier pass rushing ability will need to be on full display in order to come away with a crucial divisional victory.
He will have to be on his A-game going up against Joe Alt at offensive tackle. After a great rookie season, the second-year pro from Notre Dame has the highest pass blocking grade of any tackle in the NFL in year two. That’s just one matchup to look forward to this weekend. If Bonitto is able to come out on top and rattle Herbert, Denver will have a better shot at getting another mark in the win column.
As always, thanks for reading. Here is today’s slate of articles for your enjoyment.
