A final look at the Broncos’ 45-10 win over Arizona after looking at the film:
1. The Broncos posted a season-high 18 combined sacks/hits/pressures (six apiece) against Arizona quarterback Josh Rosen. Linebacker Von Miller had two sacks, three hits and one pressure. Linebacker Bradley Chubb had two sacks (both on the final drive) and two pressures.
2. Facing Rosen, the Broncos dialed up the pressure in the first half, rushing five on nine of his 18 drop-backs (50 percent). Armed with a 35-3 lead, the Broncos played rush and cover in the second half, rushing five or more on only three of 27 drop-backs.
3. Injuries entering and during the game created playing time opportunities for running back Phillip Lindsay (35 snaps), safety Will Parks (60), safety Shamarko Thomas (13) and defensive end DeMarcus Walker (10). Thomas also had three tackles on kickoff coverage.
4. A few days after missing a season-high 13 tackles, the Broncos were booked for only four against Arizona: Chubb, linebacker Shaq Barrett, safety Justin Simmons and linebacker Todd Davis.
5. The Cardinals rushed five or more players on 10 of Broncos quarterback Case Keenum’s 27 drop-backs. On the first sack, Keenum could have tried to force a throw, but opted to stay conservative with a 28-3 lead so we booked him for that one. On the second sack, running back Devonte Booker whiffed on trying to block defensive end Zach Moore.
6. Emmanuel Sanders’ 28-yard pass to Courtland Sutton: Sanders took the toss like he did against Washington in the preseason and Baltimore in the regular season (both touchdown runs). This time, he kept running laterally and threw to Sutton, who was wide open when Cardinals safety Antoine Bethea and cornerback Bene Benwikere bit on the run. Sutton’s acrobatic catch included pinning the ball against his helmet with his left hand as he fell to the turf.
7. Sanders’ 64-yard touchdown catch: Keenum had 4.14 seconds to throw thanks to a six-man protection against a four-man pass rush. Sanders ran an over route from left to right. Underneath, Sutton’s crossing route got the attention of safety Budda Baker, who left his responsibility in the deep middle. Sanders caught the ball at the 17-yard and front-flipped his way over the goal-line.
8. Lindsay’s 28-yard touchdown run: On a second-and-10 play, Lindsay received good blocks from center Matt Paradis, left guard Max Garcia and left tackle Garett Bolles and then broke four tackles on his way to the end zone.
9. Cornerback Chris Harris’ 53-yard interception return for a touchdown: On third-and-1, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy opted to have Rosen drop back. Rosen looked right, but his receiver semi-stopped on his route and semi-ran into Parks. That allowed the pass to go right to Harris. Later, Harris dropped a sure interception in the end zone.
10. Looking to put the game away late in the first half, the Broncos converted three consecutive third downs. Keenum scrambled for seven yards on third-and-6, threw under pressure to Lindsay, who gained six yards on third-and-5; and on third-and-11, Keenum threw a 12-yard dart to receiver Demaryius Thomas. The Broncos made it 35-3 two plays later.
