The Denver Broncos defense was already stout last season, but Talanoa Hufanga’s arrival has added another element to the mix.
He’s the perfect example of controlled chaos, and his impact was felt early on in Sunday’s win against the Titans, but his impact extends beyond the field.
Denver Broncos defense benefitting from Talanoa Hufanga’s presence
At the end of the first quarter, Hufanga already had four tackles, making his presence felt early on. He went on to finish the game with 11 tackles, and looking back on the film, he was the conductor of the symphony that was the Broncos’ defense.
Vance Joseph, the man calling the defense was the general on the sideline, and he was blown away by Hufanga’s first game.
“My god, I was impressed, especially after watching the actual tape,” Joseph said. “The range he played with, how he capped off plays for us. He’s making plays from 15 yards deep. He’s making them for four and five-yard stops. He was obviously a special player on tape watching him with the 49ers, but he is the same player. He has such great range, and he is a bigger safety, so when he gets there, he makes some noise. He can cover; he can blitz. He has no weakness in his game. It was really fun watching him and [S] Brandon Jones kind of keep some of those runs from popping. They were five and six yards that should have probably been 10 and 12 with normal safeties. Those two guys—they capped off the ball really well for us on Sunday.”
With so many moving pieces that offenses throw at defenses in today’s game, Hufanga’s communication is something Riley Moss says is one of his best traits.
“His best quality is his communication,” Moss said. “We’re all on the same page, he’s getting the calls to us, and we’re all playing the same thing. He’s finishing plays. That forced fumble he had was a great play, and that was just a testament to him finishing a play until the runner was down. He flies aroun,d and it’s good for us.”
The Broncos’ defense will rely on him this week against a Colts team that put up 33 points last week against the Miami Dolphins and the plethora of offensive weapons Daniel Jones has to work with. Hufanga will be a key player to watch on Sunday.