The old NFL adage “defense wins championships” has certainly held true to the Denver Broncos in recent years — from the Seattle Seahawks No. 1 defense burying the Broncos No. 1 offense in Super Bowl 48 to the Broncos No. 1 defense beating the Carolina Panthers No. 1 offense in Super Bowl 50 — and the Broncos believe it will hold true again on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
“That’s the model and saying for a reason, so I definitely believe in it,” inside linebacker Todd Davis said as he prepared for the Falcons offense.
While the Broncos have faced many other talented offenses so far this year — the Carolina Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals to name a few — there is no doubt that the Falcons present the toughest test.
“They do everything pretty well,” Davis said. “They run the ball well, they throw the ball well, so it’s not one area that we need to focus on eliminating.”
The Falcons offense, led by quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones, ranks No. 1 in the NFL in points per game (38), yards per game (478.8), yards per play (7.5), passing yards per game (354.2) and passing touchdowns (11).
Not only are the Falcons the top offense in all of those categories, the competition isn’t even close. The Philadelphia Eagles average the second most points per game (30.7) and still fall short of Atlanta by over a touchdown. The Dallas Cowboys rank second in yards per game (395.8) and still fall 80-yards short of the Falcons.
Although Ryan, with his 126.6 passer rating this year, and the passing game are the greatest strength of this offense, the Falcons can run the ball very well too.
“They really do [have a good running game],” Davis said. “Devonta Freeman is a great back. He can run inside the tackles and even outside of the tackles really well. We got to be able to stop the run as much as we need to stop the pass.”
The Falcons use two running backs, starter Devonta Freeman and backup Tevin Coleman, to average 124.5 yards per game on the ground, which is sixth best in the league.
Even though the Broncos don’t statistically boast the top defense in terms of total yards or points given up, they are in the top five of many defensive categories, specifically against the pass.
According to Davis, the key to beating a great offense is simple and attainable.
“Just play well,” Davis said. “They are No. 1 in offense in a lot of categories. If our defense can step up and play well I think we will have a great game.”
Since last year the Broncos defense has played their best in the most difficult circumstances. They don’t plan on this week against the Falcons being any different.
