Another week, another Denver Broncos victory. Thanks to another top-notch defensive effort, the Broncos were able to take down the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football .
Denver didn't play their best game. Though they battled hard enough to get the job done. In front of a sellout crowd, they rose to the occasion in overtime to earn their fourth victory of a season. Moving forward, the team has a lot of work to do, especially on offense. Yet being 4-2 after a tough slate of opponents to start the season is a good spot to be in all things considered.
After the game, Head Coach Sean Payton had high praise for the defense, his kicker, and how the offense was able to reel off two key scoring drives in the first half after enduring another three-and-out to start the game.
"Real quick, a huge team win. Defensively, we were magnificent. I don't know how many times we hit the quarterback, we got three takeaways. We felt like that was going to be a big deal in this game, being smart with the football," stated Payton.
"Offensively, we got going early and then obviously it was a battle. I'm happy for Wil Lutz. He really hit that last kick and it's a good team we beat. Two years in a row, we beat the Super Bowl team and that's not easy to do."
The Broncos were able to limit the impact of Seattle's offense by holding them to just 14 points. That's quite impressive considering they were down Patrick Surtain II, Talanoa Hufagna, and had Riley Moss on a limited snap count throughout the evening.
With the offense struggling to do much of anything in the second half, Denver's defense was on the field a lot. Through four quarters, they had a whopping 85 defensive snaps. In the second half, the defense did give up some yards, but they were absolute dominant taking the ball away. That was the major difference maker in last night's victory.
Forcing turnovers was one of the team's biggest points of emphasis this offseason. With another three against the Seahawks, Denver now has ten on the season. That makes them one of the top-ranked teams in that respect. Last year, they were one of the worst in the NFL.
Second-year edge rusher Que Robinson had a big performance against the Seahawks. He had four tackles, two quarterback hits, and one sack on Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. After the game, the second-year player discussed how Denver's defense has been able to embark on such a transformation.
"I think it's just the mindset we have. We know we're a very destructive defensive line and defense, and the plan was to just go out there and play our ball. We definitely did that tonight," stated Robinson.
"We preach being dominant every day. 'VJ' does a great job calling it and we do a great job executing it. Like I said, it starts with 'VJ.' When he shows that emotion before the game and at practices, when he shows that emotion to us, we feed off that and we go out there and play our best for him."
There's no doubt the defense is the bright spot of the team a third of the way through the regular season. They're a well-coached unit that plays with passion and intensity. Without question, they have come a long way since struggling in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This year's team is starting to remind me of the 2015 squad that eventually wound up winning Super Bowl 50. They weren't the greatest on offense and Peyton Manning certainly struggled. Nevertheless, they were able to grind out tough victories due to their prowess on the defensive side of the ball.
Hopefully, with extended prep time before their Week 7 matchup versus the Arizona Cardinals, Denver can find a way to be more productive on offense. It's hard to have faith in that, especially with all the issues, but we have seen the light turn on, and things click the past two seasons after getting a little rest and having more time to prepare.
If that happens? You could certainly call the Broncos a contender. If not? Fans across Broncos Country will just have to see how far the defense can carry them.
