Shelby Harris, how we missed thee.
The Broncos’ dominant defensive lineman had to sit out for a month due to contracting COVID-19, and while Denver’s defense continued playing well during that stretch, Harris reminded everyone what they were missing on Sunday night.
Simply looking at his stat line may not give one the full picture: 2 tackles, 1 QB hit, 2 passes defended. But, no doubt about it, Harris kept the Broncos in the game with his game-changing, timely plays.
More on those in a second. But first, Harris was honored by Pro Football Focus for his phenomenal play, earning his first PFF Team of the Week honors of the season.
Harris was hands-down the best interior defender this week. Why?
He’s a master at batting down footballs at the line of scrimmage. Harris, who’s led the NFL in batted balls for defensive linemen the last two seasons with 13 combined, racked up two on Sunday alone.
The first came on a crucial third down in which Patrick Mahomes searched and ultimately saw Travis Kecle open for a first down. The second batted ball came as the Chiefs threatened to score a touchdown on the Broncos in the waning seconds of the second quarter. There was the athletic lineman with crazy-long arms to knock down Mahomes’ pass again, this time, a ball that was headed for the end zone.
The Chiefs had to settle for field goals on both of those drives thanks to his otherworldly ability to defended passes at the line of scrimmage. Besides those plays, he also hit Mahomes and allowed him to carry the ball for a mere one yard on that play. And, he saved a touchdown by chasing down Tyreek Hill, who had broken away from all the other Denver defenders.
Harris currently has a 90.0 overall grade by Pro Football Focus, which makes him the third-best interior lineman in the NFL this year and it means they consider his play “elite.”
The Broncos were lucky to sign him back this year after he became a free agent, and considering they got him for just a one-year deal, the Broncos should look to lock him up again ASAP.