Ahead of their Week 18 matchup this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Denver Broncos were back on the practice field on Wednesday, and the team is very focused on locking up the No.1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Denver Broncos defense aiming to buck second-half trends for more efficient play in postseason
Even if they won’t be playing against Justin Herbert and several other starters of the Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos’ red zone and third-down defense have to improve, especially going into the playoffs.
Coming into this week’s matchup, Denver’s defense has dropped from the first-ranked red zone and third-down units to second. That’s not drastic, but prior to the bye week, they had those spots secure, and nobody else was really close.
Since the bye week, the Broncos’ defense has allowed teams to go 10-of-17 (58%) in the red zone, and 29-of-65 (44%) compared to their season averages of 33.6% on third down, and 44.4% in the red zone, which is a .4 percent increase.
Teams have capitalized on explosive plays a bit more frequently than they did in the first half of the year, and Denver is hoping to buck these trends come Week 18 and into the NFL Playoffs. We know, a win clinches the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage, and while Sean Payton has said wins don’t have to be aesthetically pleasing, he acknowledged the importance of flipping the turnover margin in favor of Denver going forward.
Denver’s defense this season has gotten stops, and their league-leading 64 sacks and third-down numbers have been supportive of that, but the takeaways haven’t come as often as they’d like. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Broncos’ defense has only forced 11 takeaways as a unit, with their 12th takeaway coming off a Jonah Elliss forced fumble on special teams.
That’s good for 28th in the league right now, and considering the fact that the Broncos’ offense has only 17 giveaways, it is a testament to the team finding ways to overcome the imbalance at times.
Pat Bryant and Nate Adkins return to practice
The Denver Broncos saw Nate Adkins and Pat Bryant both return to practice for the first time since they suffered injuries against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bryant is still working through the NFL’s concussion protocol, but he was on the field and was moving well. Even if he clears, it will be interesting to see whether or not Sean Payton will play him vs. the Chargers.
If he’s healthy enough to play and clears, I’d imagine he’ll play.
Adkins (knee) was back on the field with a knee brace after he suffered the injury against the Jaguars. The fact he wasn’t placed on IR after the injury was a telling sign and he’ll likely battle through it.
The only player not spotted at practice was linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who continues to battle a hamstring injury.