In what has been a phenomenally miserable season for the Denver Broncos, Week 8 continues to be a bright spot, with the latest example being Dre’Mont Jones.
On Wednesday morning, it was announced that Jones won Defensive Player of the Week honors for his stellar performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Cheers, @TheOfficial_80! ☕️🇬🇧
RT to congratulate Dre'Mont Jones on being named AFC Defensive Player of the Week‼️
📰 » https://t.co/POsWrQxd7Y pic.twitter.com/13E3UGcsLg
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 2, 2022
In doing so, he became just the fourth Denver Bronco in franchise history to win the award multiple times. The others? Karl Mecklenburg, Aqib Talib, and Von Miller.
Jones tallied seven total tackles (five of which were solo), three tackles for loss, and a sack, in that week 8 matchup against the Jaguars. PFF also credited Dre’Mont Jones with four pressures, and a pass-rush win rate of 18.5 percent.
It should also be noted, considering how porous the rest of Denver’s run-stopping unit was, Jones was one of the few players defending the run well for the Broncos on Sunday. That stout run defense, paired with his near-constant harassment of Trevor Lawrence, helped open the door for other members of the defense to make defining, game-saving plays.
The only surprising part about Dre’Mont Jones getting the award, was that one could make a strong argument he wasn’t even the most valuable defender on the field for the Denver Broncos. Now, don’t take that as a shot at Jones, as his showing was immaculate.
Instead, it’s a compliment to how impactful K’Waun Williams and Justin Simmons were, both of whom arguably saved the Broncos’ season by creating takeaways and forced incompletions, in pivotal moments.
Simmons’ interception had the feel of a season-saving play, with how spiritually defeated the defense looked, and how inept the offense was. Meanwhile, Williams made splash plays as a run-defender, broke up multiple critical passes as a coverage man, and ultimately won the game with a late interception.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to take any issue with Jones being honored for what truly was a masterful defensive performance.