We’ve been talking a lot about the Denver Broncos offense these last few weeks, but let’s be honest: The Broncos will ride and die with their defense.
No matter who’s at quarterback, no matter how many passes Demaryius Thomas does or does not drop, the only thing that’s going to allow the Broncos to hang with the big boys and compete for a Super Bowl championship is their defense, which just so happens to be the best in the league. And that’s never been more true than it will be this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Right now, there’s no offense in the league that’s hotter than the Pittsburgh Steelers. In their last five games, the Steelers have averaged 35.2 points and 494 yards per game, with their only loss coming against the Seattle Seahawks in a 30-39 thriller. For comparison, the 2013 Denver Broncos (the greatest offense in NFL history) averaged 37.9 points and 457 yards per game.
Despite everything the Broncos defense has proven this season, this will unquestionably be their biggest, most-important test of the season.
Luckily, they’re fully capable of bringing the Steelers offense to a sudden, abrupt stop. Here are three reasons why the Denver Broncos defense will shut down the Steelers offense:
A different kind of beast:
The reason why this Broncos defense is so much more dynamic and impactful than the other great defenses we’ve seen over the years is because each and every man on that unit works together in perfect unison. And that may sound like a dumb cliche or a grand generalization, but it’s true.
In football, a secondary’s best friend is an outstanding pass rush, and conversely, a pass rush’s best friend is a shut-down secondary; the Broncos have both, and it’s a combination few offenses have ever seen.
Between Von Miller, Shaquil Barrett, Shane Ray, Malik Jackson, Derek Wolfe and a newly healthy DeMarcus Ware, the Broncos have at least two Pro Bowl-caliber pass rushers they can send at a quarterback on any given play; when Wade Phillips calls a blitz, that brings guys like Danny Trevathan, T.J. Ward and Bradley Roby into the equation, too.
That makes Chris Harris‘ and Aqib Talib‘s jobs a lot easier; something that offensive coordinators don’t like to hear.
And against these Steelers, particularly Antonio Brown, the Broncos cornerbacks may be more suited to lock them down than any other duo in the league. Honestly, if you were to craft the perfect cornerback to cover Antonio Brown, it very well might be Chris Harris.
Harris, like Brown, is extremely versatile, able to play inside, outside, right, left, right side up, upside down. And when you’re covering Brown, you need to be great at everything, because he knows every trick in the book and then some.
More importantly, though, when the Steelers throw the football, they don’t dink and dunk; they chuck that ball down the field like the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offenses of old, and that takes time. Brown and Bryant may be fast, but they’re going to have to be lightening quick if they plan on getting open before the Denver pass rush reaches Big Ben in the pocket.
There are a lot of things the Steelers do very well, but unfortunately for them, those are the same things the Denver defense is most adept at stopping.
Stopping the run game:
Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant; those are the guys we think of when we talk about the Steelers’ offense. But while they’re as explosive of a passing attack as we have in the league today, DeAngelo Williams is just as critical to their success as anyone.
And what’s funny is that Williams starting in the backfield for Pittsburgh would have been a doomsday scenario just a few months ago. As we witnessed in the playoffs last season, the Steelers offense has been a shell of itself when superstar running back Le’Veon Bell is on the sidelines; yet, they haven’t skipped a beat with Williams in the lineup.
In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, through the Steelers’ last five games, Williams has graded out as the No. 1 running back in the NFL, and it isn’t the least bit surprising; he’s been fantastic, somehow rejuvenating himself in his 10th season.
But what makes Williams so essential to Pittsburgh isn’t just that he gains yards on the ground; it’s that he allows the Steeler receivers to run free in the secondary. For as much respect as Roethlisberger, Brown and Bryant draw on a snap-by-snap basis, no defense can devote too many resources towards covering them because they have to worry about Williams breaking off a 20-yard run on the ground, too.
But in the Broncos, the Steelers will be facing PFF’s No. 1 graded run defense. And if Denver’s front seven can keep Williams in check without bringing an eighth man into the box, they’ll be able to devote more of their resources towards covering Pittsburg’s big-name wideouts.
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[adrotate banner=”10″]Big games mean big performances:
There aren’t any stats to back this one up, but if you’ve been watching the Denver Broncos defense this season, you know they rise to another level when the lights shine brightest.
Against the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football, the defense forced five turnovers and scored a game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game. Against the Packers on Sunday Night Football, the Denver defense held the reigning MVP, Aaron Rodgers, to 77 yards an no touchdowns. A few weeks later, when the Patriots came to town, the Broncos forced a three and out on the Patriots first series in overtime, leading to C.J. Anderson‘s walk-off, 48-yard touchdown run.
This game on Sunday may not be played in primetime, but it just might be the most important game of the Broncos’ season thus far.
Denver needs to redeem themselves after that Raiders loss, and they need to keep pace in the race for the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs; a loss to the Steelers could put the Broncos in the very tough position where they may have to win out to avoid losing the AFC West.
From the opening kickoff of the 2015 season to the final snap of last Sunday’s game against the Raiders, the Denver Broncos have had the league’s best season; they’ll prove that again this Sunday, and I’ve got a feeling they’ll do it in a big way.