There’s a certain mindset behind the art of creating turnovers. This much is evident when listening to members of the Denver Broncos defense talk about their bad intentions.
Sure, any defense worth its weight subscribes to such theories.
Yet these Broncos are one of just four teams still playing in the NFL, and they head into the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots riding the wave of a season-high five takeaways in the last round.
They deserve to have the floor on this.
‘It’s just been a conscious effort,” Broncos nose tackle Malcolm Roach, full of exuberance, explained after leaving a distinct mark on the divisional playoff conquest of the Buffalo Bills last weekend. “All day, every day, that’s all we’re talking about.
‘Attack the ball. Attack the ball. Attack the ball.”
OK, Malcolm, we get it.
‘We’re preaching to the DBs, ‘If you’re coming in, come punching,’ ” he added. “They’ve been doing it all year, but like we always say, if you want to play the lottery, you’ve got to buy a ticket.”
Ca-ching!
The Broncos defense has been one of the league’s best all season. For the second year running, it led the league in sacks (68) and for much of the campaign was on pace to challenge the single-season record (72) set by the immortal ’84 Bears. They allowed just 18.3 points per game, third-fewest in the league, and led the NFL with the lowest TD rate (42.6%) in the red zone. Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen and Patrick Surtain earned All-Pro honors, and coordinator Vance Joseph was named NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.
Yet for all of that, turnovers haven’t exactly come in bunches – until now. Denver finished the regular season with just 14 takeaways, fourth-fewest in the league.
To victimize Buffalo in such a fashion last weekend – including the interception by nickel back Ja’Quan McMillian in overtime that set up the winning field goal drive – was so timely.
‘It’s so crazy,” said Roach, who had 1 ½ sacks, a fumble recovery, a tackle for loss and three QB hits on Josh Allen. “We’ve been going after the ball all year, but teams have done a good job protecting the ball.”
Now comes the Patriots in a matchup that dares Denver’s defense to take over the game on at least two accounts. You’ve probably heard that the Broncos are without quarterback Bo Nix, who suffered a broken right ankle on Sunday, leaving backup Jarrett Stidham – who hasn’t attempted a pass in a real game since 2023 – as an ultimate X-factor. Whatever help the defense can afford Stidham could be huge.
Then again, with or without Stidham, the Broncos defense faces off against a Patriots offense that has had its challenges in two playoff victories. While second-year quarterback Drake Maye emerged as an MVP candidate after leading the NFL with a 113.5 passer rating and 72% completion rate, the flow has been much less impressive during the playoffs.
In the two games, Maye committed five turnovers – three lost fumbles and two interceptions – and was sacked 10 times. He also fumbled three other times, with New England recovering the football. Including the regular season and postseason, Maye has had an NFL-high 14 fumbles.
Maybe it’s an opportunistic trend for the Broncos. It’s a given that turnovers and sacks represent key barometers that could determine whether Denver’s defense pushes it to a berth in Super Bowl 60.
Last weekend, for as much as the Broncos wreaked havoc on Allen, collecting three sacks and forcing the reigning NFL MVP into four turnovers, there was also a sense that they let him off the hook a few times as he extended plays by scrambling out of trouble.
I know he got away from me three times,” linebacker Jonathan Cooper grumbled from his locker afterward.
Good, there’s another week to make amends. While Allen led NFL quarterbacks during the regular season with 579 yards, Maye ranked fourth in that category with 450, demonstrating his own knack for extending plays with his legs. Allen was quite the warm-up act for trying to contain Maye.
Every week, we correct and we look forward to making fast improvements,” Joseph said during a Thursday media session. “So, that’s the same way we feel this week. It’s no different. We watched the tape and it wasn’t good in certain spots. We’re going to fix that and move forward and keep chasing that perfect game.”
One thing that probably needs little fixing: Bonitto, flying off the edge. The weakside linebacker registered a team-high 14 ½ sacks during the regular season, bolstered by perhaps the NFL’s fastest accelerations off the snap.
Last weekend, Bonitto forced two fumbles, including his strip-sack of Allen that led to a field goal to open the second half. His matchup against rookie left tackle Will Campbell, the first-round pick, could be pivotal.
Joseph maintains that Bonitto, a fourth-year pro, has raised his game by finishing better.
In other words, he is attacking the football as directed.
‘That’s changed his game,” Joseph said. “He’s always been a guy who can win. My first year with him here (in 2023), we would win and then jump and simply miss the football. Now he’s finishing better. We want the ball and the ball’s the game. Last week, it proved that.”
They want the ball. See, it begins in the mind. Bonitto will vouch for that.
‘That just goes to the point Coach VJ and Sean (Payton) these last couple of weeks have been making, (putting) such an emphasis on getting the ball.
‘VJ kind of broke it down easily. He’s like, ‘You know if you get the ball, you can still get a sack?’ We’ve been working on it.”
And it could make the difference in whether the Broncos will head to Santa Clara. After all, defense wins championships. And to win the lottery, you’ve got to buy a ticket.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell