KANSAS CITY — DeMarcus Ware dropped the hint nine months ago.
It was four days after the Broncos trounced the Chiefs on the Arrowhead Stadium turf in the blistering cold last November.
C.J. Anderson starred on the offensive side for Denver, and the Broncos’ defense sacked Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith six times and held the Chiefs to only 41 rushing yards. Ware made one of those sacks. He also made three tackles and intercepted a pass.
“Would you say that was your best game as a Bronco,” a reporter asked Ware the next week. Four games remained in the season and Ware wasn’t ready to concede.
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“I think the best is yet to come,” he responded.
A month later, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio left Denver for Oakland, and Wade Phillips, Ware’s former head coach in Dallas, arrived.
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The man who helped Ware amass 20 sacks in only their second season together in Dallas is now helping the 11th-year veteran return to his record ways. Phillips’ 3-4 defense is back.
“I know when they changed to a 4-3 in Dallas, going against a tackle all the time in the game I think wore him down a little bit,” Phillips said. “He seems refreshed here. In this defense, he’s standing up; he doesn’t have to go against the tackle all the time, except in pass-rush situations.
The preseason offered a glimmer of how efficient the system can be with two elite edge rushers in Ware and Von Miller, possibly a third in Shane Ray, two attacking middle linebackers in Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan, and a stout secondary.
The first-team defense didn’t allow a touchdown in the warmup to the regular season. In Week 1, against the Ravens on Sunday, the streak was extended; Baltimore’s lone touchdown was an interception return off Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning in the third quarter.
Constant pressure came from all angles. Ware was, well, everywhere. His first-quarter sack was accompanied by two solo tackles and five of the team’s nine quarterback hits.
The Broncos’ defense held Baltimore to only 173 net yards and a 15 percent conversion rate on third downs. The Broncos’ defense won the game. And Ware’s relentless pressure set the tone.
“It looks like he’s getting better with age,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “And he was pretty good to start with.”
Smith is a greater challenge for pass rushers, though. The dual-threat quarterback has a knack for picking up yards on the run when passing isn’t an option. With three offensive weapons around him — running back Jamaal Charles, tight end Travis Kelce and receiver Jeremy Maclin, an offseason acquisition — Kansas City’s offense mandates opponents have keen vision, especially from a secondary that plays a lot of man coverage.
“Those kinds of quarterbacks can sneak out of there on you, so you have to be real alert,” Phillips said. “As you rush, you have to be able to see the quarterback. That’s the good thing about Von and DeMarcus, is they don’t have to just watch the guy they’re rushing; they look at the quarterback as they go.”
Ware’s fast start this season at 33 is, in part, a reflection of Phillips’ defense, a system tailored to elite edge rushers. But perhaps it’s much simpler than that.
“They’re better than everybody else,” Phillips said of Ware and Miller. “They’re quicker, they’re stronger, they’re faster.”
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or
Ware at his best
DeMarcus Ware played eight seasons in the 3-4 defense in Dallas, including 3 1/2 with Wade Phillips as his head coach. Following two seasons in the 4-3, he has switched back to the 3-4 with Phillips as his defensive coordinator in Denver. Here’s how he’s fared in the two defenses over the years.
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| Defense (Seasons) | Games | Tackles/G | Sacks/G |
| 3-4 (2005-12, ’15) | 129 | 4.2 | 0.9 |
| 4-3 (2013-14) | 29 | 2.8 | 0.5 |
