“Coach mentioned that as well, just how young of a team that we are,” Broncos punter Jeremy Crawshaw told me as we talked at his locker stall after the AFC championship. “So I think these guys, we kind of spoke about it, how (that learning is) going to fuel our off-season to be better for next year. I think everyone’s kind of on-board with that.”

Even the smartest guy in the room has to realize it ain’t rocket science. The last two NFL champions had at least three things in common: 1.) An amazing defense; 2.) a decently mobile quarterback who won’t make game-killing mistakes; 3.) a reliable No. 1 tailback who can soften up the opposition.

Sean Payton‘s already ticked the first two boxes. Why let your ego get in the way of the third?

Seattle QB Sam Darnold’s postseason completion percentage was a Bo Nix-like 61.5% this winter. His touchdown-to-interception radio was five-to-zip. Running back Kenneth Walker III did the heavy lifting in the Divisional rout of San Francisco (116 yards rushing) and in that Super Bowl stomping of New England (135 yards rushing).

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (5-to-1 TD/pick ratio in the ’24-25 playoffs) could lean on Saquon Barkley, who had at least 18 touches and at least 97 yards from scrimmage in each of Philly’s four playoff wins a year ago.

While the Seahawks were pounding New England, 29-13,

“Hope I get to experience football on this stage. Everything on the line. I’ll get there one day. I know it…”

Oh, my goodness. Ease his pain, George Paton. Free the man. The Broncos need a 1A back to pair with RJ Harvey’s 1B. A 1A who’ll actually be healthy in December and January. A bell cow to lean on when the next snow squall hits.

The Seahawks are just the Broncos with a better RB room, a better WR room, and no self-delusions as to who they really are offensively.

Seattle sacked Pats QB Drake Maye six times. Seahawks kicker Jason Myers drained a Super Bowl-record five field goals. The teams combined for 15 punts. Super Bowl 60 even felt like a Broncos game, other than the fact Seattle led 12-0 at the end of the third quarter instead of trailing. And that Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald elected to kick a field goal on fourth and short at the New England 23 to go up 9-0 just before halftime. When your defense can turn any pocket into a box of Kleenex, why get cute?

An offense led by Jarrett Stidham would’ve been a disaster against that Seattle front. But one led by a healthy Nix would’ve made for a fair fight. Would Bo have been running for his life? Sure. But not the way Maye had to. . Pro Football Network said New England’s hogmolies were 12th-best. PFF ranked the Broncos’ OL No. 1. PFN had them at No. 4. Per SumerSports.com,

Nix basically practiced against the Seahawks’ pass rush for months at a time. Part of No. 10’s superpower isn’t just avoiding outside linebackers. It’s his ability to keep the Broncos out of second-downs- or third-downs-and-forevers.

I mean, yeah, the Patriots earned the right to be there. They beat Houston in the snow at home. They beat the Broncos in a blizzard at Empower, becoming the first New England bunch to ever win a postseason game here. The Pats made some of their own luck. Some. But I’ll go to my grave assured that if Nix plays two weeks ago, and Stiddy doesn’t, the Broncos would’ve found a way. The way they almost always found a way.

Sunday reminded us that runs to the outside zone never get old in the Big Game. Especially if you’ve got the kind of offensive line that can pull it off. Payton’s already got the latter in-house. He just needs a healthy hammer to hand off to.

J.K. Dobbins, the Broncos’ offensive MVP for the season’s opening two months, is part workhorse, part tax auditor. His peak season only lasts about 11 or 12 weeks a year.

“What does this running back room need?” I asked Dobbins during clean-out day last month.

“What do we need …” Dobbins mused. “I mean, you tell me what you think we need.”

“A healthy you would be good,” I replied.

“I think so, too.”

“A big back would be good,” I continued.

“Big back?” Dobbins countered, musing again. “I think I could do both, though. Don’t you think that?”

“Well, I don’t know …”

“You can doubt me a little bit,” he laughed. “You can tell me, ‘Nah, I don’t think so.’ You’d be like, ‘Ah, you’d get hurt.'”

Nah. Don’t think so.

You might get hurt, dude.

Barkley hasn’t played in fewer than 14 regular-season games since 2021. Walker has appeared in at least 12 regular-season games in every season since 2022. Hall has averaged 16.3 games over the last three seasons. Dobbins has averaged eight games per season since 2022. He’s played in more than 13 regular-season games just once — all the way back in 2020, his rookie year.

If it’s about finishing drives as well as finishing seasons, Hall holds his own there, too. Since 2023, he’s averaged 3.0 yards per touch inside the opponents’ 19-yard line while accounting for 12 touchdowns either running or receiving. Dobbins over the last three seasons averaged 3.25 yards per inside-the-red-zone touch with 12 scores.

The last two NFL champs have led with incredible defenses, suffocated elite AFC passers, then ran out the clock. The Broncos are on the right track. They just need more beef in the boxcar.

Denver has interviewed Commanders offensive passing-game coordinator Brian Johnson for their open OC job, a source confirmed to The Denver Post Friday. With the Broncos’ previous interview of Bills quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry, Denver can now move forward with hiring any candidate under the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which mandates teams must interview at least two minority coaching candidates for coordinator roles.

Broncos passing-game coordinator Davis Webb still stands as the clear favorite to take over in Denver’s top offensive role. Johnson, though, presents an interesting option, after working closely with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in his Offensive Rookie of the Year season in 2024.

Previously, Johnson worked as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach in 2021 and 2022, where he helped develop Super Bowl winner Jalen Hurts. Johnson also worked with Dak Prescott during his collegiate career at Mississippi State, where he was the Bulldogs’ QBs coach from 2014 to 2016.

The Broncos’ offensive staff has undergone rapid change across the past week, as head coach Sean Payton fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and receivers coach Keary Colbert Tuesday. Senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael Jr. — a Payton loyalist dating back to New Orleans — is also leaving Denver to take the Bills’ offensive-coordinator job.

Johnson’s interview is notable, too, in that he’s had no shared-staff overlap with Payton at any previous stop. And Denver now has two potential candidates for a role as a quarterbacks coach, if they do indeed promote Webb to offensive coordinator.

The 49ers head to top-seeded Seattle next weekend for an NFC divisional playoff game. The NFC West rivals split the season series.

Purdy threw for 262 yards and got the road win in Philadelphia he failed to get three seasons ago when he was injured in a dismal outing in Philadelphia in a loss in the NFC title game.

2026 NFL playoffs brackets, seeds, schedules, TV times, results and more

Purdy had two passes intercepted in this one by All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, but the Eagles scored just three points off the turnovers.

The 49ers could head to Seattle without star tight end George Kittle, who was carted off the field with a right Achilles tendon injury late in the first half.

The Eagles -- who won a Super Bowl on a trick play — were foiled by one when Jennings was pitched the ball and rolled right and hit McCaffery on a 29-yard touchdown. The score on the first play of the fourth quarter gave the 49ers a 17-16 lead.

The Eagles would only get Jake Elliott����ap 33-yard field goal in the quarter for a brief 19-17 lead.

Philadelphia was again doomed by a lethargic offensive effort that cost it a shot at a repeat championship. Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts threw for only 168 yards and a touchdown and the Eagles failed to build off a 13-10 halftime lead by totaling only 36 total yards in the third quarter on 16 plays.

Hurts was incomplete on a last-gasp fourth-and-11 attempt with 43 seconds left that ended their final drive.

Patriots, Jaguars vying for top seed. The Broncos received a massive belated Christmas gift on Monday courtesy of Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who relinquished all gamesmanship and said point-blank that Los Angeles would rest star quarterback Justin Herbert. Denver would have to absolutely implode to lose Sunday’s matchup. In such an event, though, New England (13-3) and Jacksonville (12-4) would be set up to seize that vaunted No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Patriots are playing a 7-9 Dolphins team that’s been mathematically eliminated; the Jaguars face 3-13 Tennessee, one of the worst teams in the NFL. Denver can’t afford to get too cute here.

Fernando-mania. The Raiders are the NFL’s hottest current mess. They’ve lost 10 straight. The Pete Carroll experiment seems all but destined to end after one unceremonious year. 48-year-old minority owner Tom Brady was captured by TMZ getting a little close with 25-year-old influencer Alix Earle on New Year’s Eve. Las Vegas continues to be in the news for plenty of reasons beyond the actual on-field product. The good news? Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is only solidifying his case as a legitimate No. 1 pick, with a 14-of-16 line for 192 yards and three touchdowns in a drubbing of Alabama at the Rose Bowl on Thursday. Raiders general manager John Spytek has to be licking his chops.

Rivers done, again. The great season-saving Philip Rivers Experiment is over, as the 44-year-old will now step back into retirement after three losses in Indianapolis. What a valiant effort it was, though: Rivers has a higher QBR (39.3) in three starts in 2025 than the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa or the Raiders’ Geno Smith have this season. The Colts announced rookie QB Riley Leonard will start in Week 18, with Indianapolis (8-8) removed from playoff contention. Rivers, though, expressed nothing but gratitude for the opportunity.

“I got three bonus games that I never saw coming,” , “and couldn’t be more thankful that I got an opportunity.”

Around the NFC

Teach me how to Purdy.��It’s time to officially crown San Francisco as serious NFC contenders. The 49ers were a distant afterthought in their own division a couple months back, floating at 6-4 behind Seattle and the Rams. Suddenly, the Niners have ripped off six wins in a row with the return of starting quarterback Brock Purdy, who’s playing with rarely-before-seen levels of confidence. Case in point: hitting a nasty Dougie after a touchdown against the Bears last Sunday in a 24-of-33, 303-yard, five-total-TD performance. As , heaven “forbid a white guy has a little bit of motion.”

Packers get secondary help.��Green Bay’s seen an unexpected influx of Cowboys into their building in 2025. First came Micah Parsons. Now, former All-Pro Trevon Diggs is joining the fray after Dallas cut bait and waived him this week. The cornerback is far from the same player who led the NFL with 11 interceptions in 2021, torched for four touchdowns and a 157.2 quarterback rating in eight games this season. But there’s still talent in there, and perhaps Diggs will be motivated by a fresh start.

Can Stafford seize an MVP? The race for the league’s top award is still wide-open entering Week 18. Support for the Rams’ Matthew Stafford, long the season favorite, has faltered significantly after he threw three interceptions in Monday’s 27-24 loss to the Falcons. The stats don’t lie, though: Stafford’s 42 touchdown passes are nine more than any other NFL quarterback entering the final regular-season game of the year. If Stafford gets back on track against the 3-13 Cardinals Sunday, consider the Most Valuable Player discussion wrapped up.

Game of the Week

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

It’s a Sunday Night doozy. Lamar Jackson vs. Aaron Rodgers for sole possession of an AFC North title — and a playoff berth. Loser’s bounced out of the bracket entirely. Jackson confirmed this week he’ll play after missing last Saturday’s win with a back contusion, in what’s been an overall-frustrating year for the MVP due to injuries and roster instability.

There could be major long-term ramifications on the line for both organizations in Pittsburgh on Sunday.  A Ravens loss could bring an end of an era to the John Harbaugh-Jackson partnership in Baltimore, with trade rumors swirling around Jackson for the better part of a strange season. A Steelers loss could bring an end to the Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh, with rampant speculation (okay, there’s speculation literally every year) around Tomlin’s job security. Sunday should, in general, bring a unique new chapter in a historic NFL rivalry.

Baltimore 24, Pittsburgh 20

Lock of the Week

Tennessee at Jacksonville

There aren’t a ton of playoff teams with a ton left to play for in Week 18. The Jaguars are one of them. And they just so happen to be facing the 3-13 Titans. Tennessee’s been playing much-improved offensive ball across the last month, as rookie Cam Ward has six touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last three starts. Still, the Jaguars should be motivated to put this one to bed early to preserve a shot at the one-seed and get their starters some second-half rest.

Jaguars 31, Titans 20

Upset of the Week

Washington at Philadelphia

Don’t look now, but the reigning champs should be squarely back in the thick of the Super Bowl discussion. Philadelphia’s offense is still a sludge. But Vic Fangio’s defense is playing as well as any unit in the league: the Eagles have surrendered just 14.5 points a game across their last eight weeks.

That being said, this could be a classic end-of-year stunner. Philadelphia’s resting quarterback Jalen Hurts against the Commanders, despite a shot at the No. 2 seed if they’d beat Washington. That’d signal the Eagles will sit other key starters; Washington’s suffered through a brutal season with Jayden Daniels banged up, but backup Marcus Mariota has done some solid work at times. This could be an ugly, meaningless upset.

Commanders 16, Eagles 13

From the moment he juked with his right shoulder and ran around helpless right tackle Mike Remmers in the first quarter, it was destined.

When he slipped under a block and stripped the ball from Cam Newton in the fourth quarter, it happened.

The Broncos won Super Bowl 50, their Orange Rush punctuating one of the most impressive defensive seasons in NFL history. As the players performed snow angels in the confetti on the Levi’s Stadium field, the prevailing thought was there would never be another Von or a Denver D like this.

Well …

“(Nik) Bonitto and (Jonathon) Cooper are doing an amazing job. Zach Allen is the catalyst inside. V.J. (Vance Joseph) has been incredible. And it’s not just up front. They are rushing well from all over the place,” Von Miller said at his locker this week as a member of the Washington Commanders. “Rush and coverage go together. Patrick Surtain (II), everybody knows how I feel about him. Riley Moss on the other side. (Brandon Jones) and (Talanoa) Hufanga — their secondary is the reincarnation of the defense we had in 2015.”

The answer required several rewinds and replays to make sure it was heard correctly. Did the centerpiece of the greatest Broncos’ defense suggest that a replica has formed a decade later?

“They have been so good,” Miller said. “They are not hard to pay attention to.”

As the Broncos attempt to secure the top record in the AFC West this weekend, they are wandering closer to their past. They will host the New York Giants with a personality and team strength that gives off 2015 vibes. Through six games, the current Broncos have given up fewer points, yards and red zone touchdowns than their Super Bowl-winning predecessors. And they have four more sacks — 30 to 26.

“It kind of gives a great feel of what we did in Super Bowl 50, right? You have to win the tough ones, you have to win the ugly ones,” said David Bruton Jr., a safety on the 2015 team. “And more times than not, the defense is the one doing it.”

The similarities are striking, especially for ����apountry, a fanbase longing for the franchise’s first playoff victory since Super Bowl 50. That team will be honored at halftime, a few hours after Demaryius Thomas goes into the Ring of Fame.

“They were the standard for a long time,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. “I told our defense, ‘Let����ap put our best foot forward for these guys.’”

The comparisons are flattering and understandable. But they are not accurate.

What could be better than the 2015 defense? Nothing. Who could possibly top the diary of havoc written in Santa Clara? Not a thing.

At least not yet.

Do not confuse this as a lack of appreciation for what the current defenders have done. Just understand, more is required to be mentioned in the same breath as the 2015 unit.

Two things, specifically. Even if they break the single-season sack total — they are on pace for an NFL-record 85 — the Broncos need a playoff win to make it resonate for decades. And the defense has to do it against better quarterbacks.

It is not the Broncos’ fault they have yet to face a string of All-Pros, but history is not moved by mauling Cam Ward, Jake Browning, Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts, a former Super Bowl MVP who has lost his way this season.

Consider those pop quizzes. The test is coming against Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Love, Jayden Daniels and Justin Herbert, who beat them earlier this season with some late-game magic. Want to be discussed in the same vein as 2015, then you have to ace this exam.

“They are supposed to dominate Ward, Fields, guys like that. They have done a great job and boosted their stats,” said Chris Harris Jr., a former Pro Bowl cornerback on the Super Bowl team. “And they have another game like that this week against the Giants. But eventually, when you look at everything, it matters who you beat.”

The 2015 defense pales to no one. They posted victories against Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers, all first-ballot Hall of Famers. Philip Rivers, who has a case for Canton, and Newton, who won MVP honors that season, were also victims of that defense. What they did to Rodgers remains illegal in most states.

In a matchup of 6-0 teams on Sunday Night Football, the Broncos held him to 77 yards passing and sacked him three times.

“I knew we were really good, but you never know what they can do until you do it. We had so much confidence going in,” defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said earlier this week. “It was a reminder of how great players and great teams get up for big games.”

The edge rushers and secondary made the 2015 defense special, and the current group has no one like linebacker Danny Trevathan until Dre Greenlaw returns from injury completely healthy. Von will be a Hall of Famer. DeMarcus Ware already is. The pressure blended well with sticky man coverage from corners Harris, Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby, and the violent nature of safeties T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart.

“Normally, you only rush one of the edge guys, and the other drops. We could rush them both to cause problems,” Phillips said. “The talent was there. And the togetherness and intelligence made them different. They were as smart a group as I have ever been around.”

They hung out off the field. They ate together. Set up early morning film sessions. The 2025 group shares some of those same traits. They are unselfish. They know if they do their jobs, everyone will eat. Phillips is enjoying the Broncos’ success, following closely as Joseph, a former young assistant under him, continues to dial up eye-opening blitzes and confusing coverages.

“Because of Vance, I watch the games. I see what they are doing. It’s impressive,” Phillips said. “I didn’t know who some of those guys were, like Bonitto and Cooper. But I do now.”

What makes the current defense different is that pressure comes from everywhere. Bonitto leads the league with eight sacks. Cooper boasts 4.5. But inside linebacker Justin Strnad has 3.5. And cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian has two.

This greatness is following a path carved by the 2015 defense, but has yet to add the element of havoc. The elder Broncos did not just steal the souls of opposing quarterbacks. They swiped the ball. Through six games, Denver had 17 takeaways. The current Broncos have four.

It was a testament to the technique of Miller and Ware. And a secondary that realistically believed it could score every game.

“Oh yeah, that was always on our mind,” Harris said. “We turned turnovers into points. And that����ap the next step for them to be that on that high level.”

Ten years later, the Broncos have a group worthy of the conversation. They have ground to cover. But it speaks to the fantastic start that they have raised the eyebrows of Miller.

“Wouldn’t it be something if Surtain and Nik won defensive player of year honors in back-to-back seasons? They are off to an incredible start,” Miller said. “I love seeing it. I still have a beautiful place in my heart for the Denver Broncos. This weekend is going to be special. I wish there was a way I could be there.”

2015 vs. 2025

This year’s Broncos defense is off to an incredible start. But how does it stack up to the defense that led Denver’s last Super Bowl run? Here’s a look at each defense’s statistics through six games.

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Broncos-Giants series: This is a pretty rare matchup. These franchises have only played 13 times, and the Broncos have the narrow edge at 7-6 in those matchups. They beat the Giants 27-13 in their last meeting in 2021’s season opener, when Vic Fangio seemed to finally land a quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater before another year went sideways.

In the spotlight: It’s bulletin-board time for the pass-rushers, all of a sudden

The best way to explain what occurred on Twitter Thursday is just to roll that clip from 2004’s “Anchorman,” when Ron Burgundy .

“That escalated quickly,” Burgundy remarks. “I mean, that really got out of hand fast.”

Let’s recap for anyone not terminally online. On Wednesday, Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper uttered some eyebrow-raising remarks on Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart: “He’s feelin’ himself a little bit.” Perhaps they were complimentary remarks. Perhaps not. Either way, Cooper quickly became one of the most disliked men in New Jersey, which is saying something.

around Giants Twitter, Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto tweeted — and quickly deleted — a message that he’d “never seen such a delusional fan base.” Giants rookie OLB Abdul Carter then quote-tweeted Fellow New York pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux . Cooper later posted a sunglasses-wearing emoji.

The winner of the great Oct. 16 Edge Rusher Broncos-Giants Twitter War is unclear. The folks at the unfortunate mercy of such shenanigans, however, might just be Dart and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. And their offensive lines.

These are two of the most fearsome pass-rush units in the NFL, with a bit of extra gamesmanship now under their belts. Giants head coach Brian Daboll complimented Bonitto as an “unbelievable pass-rusher” this week. Cooper has been special in his own right, coming off an AFC Defensive Player of the Week nod. New York, though, has a nasty triumvirate in Carter, Thibodeaux and Brian Burns, the last of whom is having an early career year with seven sacks.

“They got like four werewolves in there,” Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday. “So, yeah, it’s going to be a challenge.”

It’ll be even more of a challenge with a depleted offensive line, as Denver will start its third straight left guard in three weeks. Starter Ben Powers is on injured reserve. So is backup Matt Peart. The Broncos appear to be turning to Alex Palczewski, the fanbase’s jumbo-tight-end hero, who held up adequately filling in for Mike McGlinchey for a few games at right tackle last year.

Denver has one of the best pass-blocking units in the NFL around him, but New York’s been nearly unstoppable in affecting the pocket when Carter, Thibodeaux and Burns are on the field together: a 46% pressure rate in such situations, according to Next Gen Stats.

The Giants’ ability to keep the Dart-Cam Skattebo good vibes rolling, meanwhile, will depend largely on the success of their tackles. Andrew Thomas may be the best pass-blocker Bonitto or Cooper has faced yet, leading all tackles in pressure rate allowed (1.2%) this season, according to Next Gen Stats. Dart, as electric as he’s been through a few starts, has struggled mightily when throwing under pressure: just 12 of 29 with a 42.2 quarterback rating.

This is a mano-a-mano matchup of two of the best pass-rush units in the league. And the gamesmanship’s already flowing.

Who has the edge?

When Broncos run: J.K. Dobbins acknowledged he didn’t have his best game last week, but the Broncos’ offensive line didn’t exactly do a stellar job creating rushing lanes for him. The body of work here earns the benefit of the doubt, though, as Denver still ranks seventh in the league in rushing offense. Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke is really good — 54 tackles in six games — but New York’s defense sits at 22nd in the NFL in rushing defense (128.8 yards per game allowed). Edge: Broncos

When Broncos pass: At some point, there’s a large enough sample size to say that Denver doesn’t have a great passing attack right now. The game-to-game impact of individual receivers is all over the map, although Sean Payton usually hits on something with Marvin Mims Jr. or Troy Franklin every game. Tight end Evan Engram looks like he’s coming along, too. None of the Giants’ secondary members have had particularly standout seasons in coverage, though; cornerback Paulson Adobo has allowed the sixth-most yards in coverage of any corner in the NFL. Edge: Even

When Giants run: Cam Skattebo is a tongue-wagging, shirt-ripping menace of a rookie running back. His energy, as Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers said this week, has made this team go. He’s particularly excellent in the red zone with five touchdowns in his last five games. Jaxson Dart’s been a force on the ground, too, with 50-plus rushing yards in each of his first three starts. That’ll be a neat challenge for a Broncos defense that just bottled up one of the best ground games in the league in the New York Jets. Slight edge: Broncos

When Giants pass: For all the Dart hype, he’s averaged just 169 passing yards a game in his three starts leading New York’s offense. Star receiver Malik Nabers’ season-ending injury removes much of the teeth in the Giants’ passing attack, and New York’s offensive line has surrendered the eighth-most pressures in the league. The Broncos have a ton of experience at this point dealing with mobile quarterbacks and affecting them with just a four-man rush. Edge: Broncos

Special teams: The Broncos just inked special-teams ace and longtime Darren Rizzi ally J.T. Gray to provide some juice in the kicking game, after the Jets soundly outplayed them in this area in London last week. The Giants haven’t been particularly great in the return game, which could offer Rizzi’s unit an opportunity to get back on track. Edge: Even

Coaching: Brian Daboll’s managed to pull the Giants back from the brink with a 2-1 record across their last three games, including impressive wins over the Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, the man was on the hot seat just a few weeks ago, and he went 3-14 last year. Benching Russell Wilson for Dart was a smart move, but it’s not enough to outweigh Sean Payton and Vance Joseph’s body of work across the last two years. Edge: Broncos

Tale of the tape

By the numbers

77:��Yards for Giants’ sudden No. 1 wideout Wan’Dale Robinson against Eagles man coverage last week.

20:��Catches for Cam Skattebo out of the backfield this season in six games.

10%:��Jaxson Dart’s completion percentage on deep balls this year.

2.9:��Yards per carry for J.K. Dobbins against the Jets in Week 6, his lowest mark of the season.

78.5:��New York’s yardage per game on third down, eighth-most in the NFL.

16:��Quarterback hits for both Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto, tied for the most in the NFL.

X-factors

Broncos: WR Pat Bryant. It may be time. Bryant’s snap share has jumped every game since Week 3, and he was on the field for over 60% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps against the Jets. He’s only caught four passes this season, but the number of routes he’s running suggests he’s in line for a breakout game in the very near future. He’d give Bo Nix another key option over the middle beyond Courtland Sutton.

�Ҿ����Գٲ�:��TE Theo Johnson. Quietly, Johnson’s become Jaxson Dart’s go-to guy in the red zone in Nabers’ absence, with three touchdown grabs in his last three games. Eagles TE Dallas Goedert caught a short TD in Week 5 by simply separating from Broncos ILB Alex Singleton, and Denver will need to have a plan for Johnson inside the 20-yard line.

Post predictions

Parker Gabriel, Broncos writer: Broncos 17, Giants 13

Week-to-week, it’s difficult to pin down exactly what to expect from Sean Payton and the Broncos’ offense. What’s not nearly as muddled: The Denver defense is elite. They’ve got 10 sacks more than anybody else in football this season already. Jaxson Dart’s brought energy to the G-men, but Denver’s completely swallowed up mobile quarterbacks the past two weeks in Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields. If WR Malik Nabers were playing in this game, the New York offense would feel much scarier. Instead, both of these defensive fronts are primed to do damage. The Broncos’ unit just normally does more.

Luca Evans, Broncos writer: Broncos 27, Giants 10

Alright, let’s say it. Let Bo Cook. Sean Payton has a golden opportunity to play not-so-conservative football against New York and get Bo Nix in rhythm against a Giants secondary that’s not very good. If the Broncos’ front can hold up, Denver can easily string some big plays together and get Nix humming like he was late against the Eagles. Cam Skattebo will run for one touchdown, but the Broncos have all the motivation they appear to need to swallow up Dart.

Troy Renck, Broncos writer: Broncos 23, Giants 16

When even English fans are embarrassed by the Broncos after watching soccer their entire lives, it speaks to the ground the offense has to cover. The Broncos do one thing well, ranking seventh in rushing yards per game at 103.7. And the Giants allow 128.8. Time to lean on J.K. Dobbins for 20 carries and add more uptempo for Bo Nix in the passing attack. The Broncos offense won’t need to do much because Denver’s defense will smother the Arm&Hammer duo of Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo.

Sean Keeler, Broncos writer: Broncos 24, Giants 20

Jaxson Dart is the NFL’s new Alex Warren — and his first month as a starter has been anything but “Ordinary.” But wasn’t Gardner Minshew the last rookie QB to win at Empower Field? Back in 2019? The Broncos defense has come a long, long, long way since then. Dart is completing just 48% of his throws this season with one score and two picks when under pressure. No defensive front has been generating pressure like Vance Joseph’s crew since Buddy Ryan’s 1980s Bears. Dart and Cam Skattebo are out there running around like kids on the playground. This is a business trip, and nobody messes with Sean Payton’s business in October.

Their names are Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, and this New York Giants duo appears to fear nothing. Certainly not head trauma. Dart flung himself noggin-first into an Eagles defender in Week 5, and has been evaluated for a concussion three times in four games. Skattebo got himself . They have infused Jersey with a little Gen-Z flair, and their swagger was enough to bury the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles on Thursday Night Football last week.

But a stable of Broncos await in Denver on Sunday, ready to kick. This is confidence on confidence. Denver’s locker room has “our Skattebo,” as defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers pointed, in Jonathon Cooper — a muscled-up 27-year-old former seventh-rounder who came out from the locker room at every training camp practice roaring at nobody in particular. And who just won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. And is part of a Broncos pass-rush that fears nothing, either.

Certainly not the Giants’ 22-year-old rookie quarterback with his reckless legs and golden flow.

“I mean, he’s a young guy,” Cooper said of Dart, his nose curling up in a sneer. “He’s feeling himself a lil’ bit. He’s out there running around. He’s got the chain on. He’s dancing. I feel like everybody needs something, you know.

“But we’ve went against QBs who have ran around in the pocket and who’ve tried to do stuff with their legs,” Cooper said. “So, ain’t nothing we haven’t seen.”

Skattebo and Dart will bring a heap of earned chutzpah on the plane with them to Denver Sunday. But this Broncos’ defense’s own confidence at every level — and its play-caller’s — is as high as it’s been all season, after sacking Jets quarterback Justin Fields nine times last Sunday. The stat-sheet from London is still burning: -10 net passing yards for the Jets, a fact that prompted a hat-tip from Giants head coach Brian Daboll on Wednesday.

“They’re just really good,” Daboll said. “They play good coverage, complement it with the front. They disguise well. I mean, they’re as good as it gets right now.”

Since taking over from former Bronco Russell Wilson in Week 3, Dart has played largely excellent football in a 2-1 stretch, with wins over the Chargers and Eagles. The former Ole Miss QB’s legs have become a major engine to New York’s offense, with 167 rushing yards in that span. He’s escaped pressure with aplomb.

The Broncos’ pass-rush, however, has seen two of the league’s best scrambling quarterbacks the past two weeks. They turned the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts into a thrower in Week 5 — two carries for three yards — and turned Philadelphia’s offense one-dimensional because of it. Then they turned the Jets’ Fields into, frankly, a shell of an NFL quarterback in Week 6.

It’s one of head coach Sean Payton’s favorite sayings: Confidence is born from demonstrated ability. This Broncos front has it.

“We play one of the best quarterbacks twice a year, every single year,” Cooper said Wednesday, likely referring to the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. “So once you go against that, you kinda get a feel of the game. And, you know what you need to do. You gotta make ‘em feel uncomfortable in the pocket.

“So, you can’t let ‘em get that confidence and that ego going.”

Their ego’s going, plenty. And deservedly so. The ability of the Broncos’ core four pass-rushers up front to win one-on-ones — Cooper, NFL sack leader Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, Franklin-Myers — and the secondary’s ability to win in man coverage on the back-end has given coordinator Vance Joseph the ingredients and the gall of a mad scientist.

With Denver backed up in their own territory and up two late in the fourth quarter against New York, at the short end of the stick relative to the clock, Joseph sent the house on three of the Jets’ last four downs. Sack. Incompletion. Seven-yard completion. Sack. Ballgame.

“I mean, shoot, it gets me excited,” cornerback Pat Surtain II smiled Wednesday. “Honestly, you know – back against the wall, you’re on an island, everybody on an island in coverage. But, the quarterback doesn’t have a chance.”

Will Dart have a chance Sunday? The stage is set, against a Broncos defense and pass-rush that’s gelling perfectly just six weeks in.

“It’s truly building, and becoming a brotherhood,” Cooper said. “And when you have something like that, you don’t want to let the other guy down.

“When you playing for each other, that����ap when it gets really special. And I feel like that����ap the culture we’re building here.”

Stock up

Vance Joseph: Denver’s defensive coordinator just keeps rising and rising and rising some more, and might just rise to another head-coaching gig. The Broncos’ defense tormented Justin Fields and the Jets for four quarters, and the stats are ridiculous: nine sacks, 82 total yards. Joseph’s unit really only gave up three points of the Jets’ 11 on Sunday, and pretty much single-handedly won Week 6 for Denver. It’s becoming a rather common occurrence.

Joseph has earned particularly high marks for his ability to dial up pressure, and he crushed the Jets on one all-out look on New York’s final drive. But it’s the smaller details where the brilliance shows up. Justin Strnad, an inside linebacker whom Joseph loves blitzing, has 3.5 sacks through six games. Denver’s run defense on the interior has tightened up, holding a run-heavy Jets offense to three yards a carry. They look near-impenetrable right now.

The Joker: He’s arrived! Evan Engram’s gone from Jared Leto to Joaquin Phoenix to Heath Ledger levels of Joker performance in the span of about three weeks (no, Phoenix is not the best on-screen Joker. Sorry).

Engram led Denver with five first-half touches and came up big with two early third-down conversions. He burned a Jets receiver on a choice route early, and keyed a fourth-quarter field goal drive with a stretching grab over the middle. He’s grown enough trust with Sean Payton so quickly that Payton drew up an end-around for him — yes, a 31-year-old tight end — that went for 7 yards.

“That’s what happens when you try to get him the ball — he makes big plays,” quarterback Bo Nix said postgame. “That’s why we acquired him.”

Life pre-Dre Greenlaw: Beyond the occasional wheel route, the Broncos have pretty neatly tied up their issues at linebacker. It’s partly a credit to Joseph for leaning into his core’s strengths, and partly a credit to Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad for playing their roles excellently on Sunday.

Singleton had seven tackles and a tackle for loss against the Jets, but perhaps the most telling stat: New York’s tight ends and running backs had just two combined catches for 1 yard against the Broncos. No coverage issues here. Strnad, meanwhile, has become a legitimate asset as a blitzer at weak-side linebacker. After 1.5 sacks against the Jets, he’s now at 3.5 through six games, third on the roster.

Wil Lutz: The Broncos kicker naturally earned the fanbase’s ire after shanking a key 42-yarder in a Week 2 loss to the Colts, but Lutz has put together an excellent few weeks since. He nailed a 55-yarder against the Eagles, and followed it up with a monster 57-yard field goal against the Jets. Quietly, Denver wouldn’t have won without that kick.

Stock down

The mental sanity of any WR1 who plays the Broncos: Know ? That’s Pat Surtain II right now with the league’s best receivers.

After a shaky start in Weeks 2 and 3 against the Colts and Chargers, Surtain’s blown up the emotional stability of entire offenses for weeks because high-paid receivers aren’t getting the ball. First came in Week 4, when Chase finished with five catches for 23 yards. Then came AJ Brown’s continued subliminal unhappiness with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts after finishing with five catches for 43 yards in Week 5. Then came Garrett Wilson barking at Jets coach Aaron Glenn on Sunday, as Wilson finished with three catches for 13 yards on eight targets.

As he continued to endorse teammate Nik Bonitto for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the reigning DPOY had two more pass breakups Sunday.

Fullback love: This was in the “stock up” section last week. Life moves quickly. Life especially moves quickly when one’s head coach dials up a fullback sneak on a third-quarter third-and-10.

Adam Prentice was 2 for 2 on third-down carries entering Sunday against the Jets. He is now 2 for 3. It was a baffling play-call from Payton. Nate Adkins caught the Broncos’ only touchdown of the day, but for the purposes of this entry, Adkins shall be referred to as a tight end.

Darren Rizzi: Marvin Mims Jr. has morphed from an All-Pro returner into just decent, and looked like he was overthinking his angles at times against the Jets. The Broncos’ kick-return units continue to disappoint. Denver continues to get outplayed on special teams, with 89 fewer combined kick and punt-return yards than New York in London. It hasn’t been a banner start to Rizzi’s career in Denver, who Payton hired from New Orleans in the offseason, seeing a future NFL head coach.

“I think Darren is probably just as disappointed relative to his units as I would be, relative to our offense,” Payton said postgame.

The O-line: Nix only took one sack against the Jets, and that was more of a function of Nix’s ability to avoid sacks than the Broncos’ offensive-line play. Matt Peart is the obvious point here, as the veteran reserve struggled mightily (three penalties) in filling in for the injured Ben Powers at left guard. Payton and the Broncos need an answer there.

But their entire run scheme was ineffective for long stretches, as Denver finished with just 78 yards on 26 carries. And All-Pro guard Quinn Meinerz was torched for a key holding penalty backed up in the second half that gave the Jets a rare safety.

“I didn’t think we played well up front,” Payton said.

�³���:��7:30 a.m. MDT Sunday

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Broncos-Jets series: Denver’s 10-9 win over the Jets last year brought the Broncos’ series record to 22-18-1 all-time against the Jets. Interestingly, the Broncos have shut New York out three of those 41 matchups, including a 26-0 win in September 2021.

In the spotlight: It’s officially ‘Don’t Bite the Cheese’ week for Sean Payton and the Broncos.

Saints linebacker Scott Shanle remembers walking into the Saints’ facility in the early days of Sean Payton’s reign, and finding mousetraps dangling from the ceiling.

This visual aid came, of course, from mentor Bill Parcells.��Don’t bite the cheese. One translation: don’t overlook an opponent. Aaron Glenn would likely recognize the metaphor, a former NFL Pro Bowler who walked the halls with Parcells in Dallas and who Payton later brought to New Orleans.

Now, all these years later, Glenn and the 0-5 New York Jets are a hefty piece of cheese for Payton’s Broncos on Sunday.

“He’s taught me a lot about being a coach,” Glenn, a first-year head coach, said Wednesday. “And listen, he’s one of the guys that – I love everything about what he is and what he’s about.

“I’m looking forward to competing against him, because I know how he is. And this’ll be a competitive battle between the both of us.”

Payton, for one, scoffed this week at the notion that trap games exist in the NFL. But every aspect of this Jets matchup should sound alarm bells around the Broncos’ hotel in the sleepy English countryside. The Broncos are coming off one of the highest possible regular-season highs, proving they can close in the Payton Era with a comeback win over last year’s Super Bowl champions in Philadelphia. They now face the only winless team remaining in the NFL — at a neutral venue, a nine-hour flight away in London, without any upcoming bye week.

And three of the Jets’ losses have come in one-score games.

“We know exactly where we’re at,” Glenn said. “We’re not hiding from that fact. Yes – we are 0-5. We understand that. And we understand we have a lot of work to do. And we’re not running from that at all.”

Cue up the in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.”

New York has both folded against high-quality competition — getting their “(expletive) whooped” by Buffalo 30-10 in Week 2, as Glenn put it — and battled hard against winning teams like the Steelers and Buccaneers. Either version is possible across the pond on Sunday.

On paper, the Jets’ offense profiles similarly to the Eagles: a dink-and-dunk passing attack from a mobile quarterback who avoids mistakes. The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts hadn’t thrown a pick this year entering Week 6; neither has the Jets’ Justin Fields. And New York hangs its hat on running the football, averaging the third-most yards on the ground in the NFL through five games. The Broncos executed perfectly in a Vance Joseph-designed game plan last Sunday to keep Hurts in the pocket and make him a thrower. That will be another emphasis this week against the twitchy Fields.

“What we asked him to do last week was rush together and not rush past the quarterback,” Joseph said of Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, who racked up 2.5 sacks against Philadelphia. “That is hard to do as an NFL rusher, when you have a 1-on-1 with a guy you can beat.”

Discipline from the Broncos’ front will again be incredibly important against a Jets team that can gash on the ground but can’t protect its quarterback. New York’s allowed the highest pressure rate in the NFL (over 50%) through five games. If Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Zach Allen and company don’t get overzealous, the Broncos could still sleepwalk into another five-sack performance.

The Jets are also plenty porous against the run, and blitz often — the fourth-highest rate in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats — but rank in the bottom third of the league in pressure rate. If second-year quarterback Bo Nix carries forward the composure he showed in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia, he could light up the skies over Tottenham on Sunday.

“This is not a team to just toss around like they’re winless,” Nix said this week. “But I think we’ll be ready to go. It����ap just another game.”

Who has the edge?

When Broncos run: Currently, the numbers paint J.K. Dobbins as a top-five running back in the NFL. Several voices in the Broncos’ locker room have spoken up that this offense flows better when they run the ball well — and early — and Payton turned back to Dobbins again as an opener and closer last week in a 79-yard, 20-carry performance. The numbers also paint the Jets as a bad run defense (24th out of 32 teams in rushing yards per game allowed). But Quinnen Williams is an All-Pro monster in the middle of New York’s defensive line, and the Broncos could sorely miss left guard Ben Powers in this one. Slight edge: Broncos

When Broncos pass: Sauce Gardner is one of the only cornerbacks in the NFL who can hold a candle to Pat Surtain II. He’s forced a tight throwing window on 50% of his targets this year, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That’s second only to Surtain. Gardner will make life difficult on Courtland Sutton, who’s off to one of the best starts of his eight-year career. But Sutton handled Eagles stud Quinyon Mitchell just fine last week, and a fantastic Broncos pass-blocking line is going up against a weak Jets pass-rush. Edge: Broncos

When Jets run: The game might tilt here. Running back Breece Hall is averaging 5.3 yards a carry despite an inconsistent offensive start, and Fields is a threat to tuck and go at any moment. The Eagles, for some reason, decided to only give Saquon Barkley six carries last week, but teams have had success gashing Denver up the middle this year. It’s doubtful Glenn goes away from that in London. Edge: Even

When Jets pass: Less than a quarter of Justin Fields’ attempts this year have come more than 10 yards downfield. The Broncos need to figure out a way to not stick Alex Singleton in one-on-one coverage against Hall, though, after Barkley toasted him on a wheel route in Philadelphia. Hall’s a great receiver out of the backfield, and Garrett Wilson has dominated man coverage this season. Wilson, though, will have to take on the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Edge: Broncos

Special teams: How about Jeremy Crawshaw? Reports of his preseason rookie demise were greatly exaggerated. Crawshaw ranks second among all NFL punters through five weeks in the percentage of punts downed inside the 20 (62.5%). Kicker Wil Lutz nailed a 55-yarder last week, too, and Darren Rizzi’s unit has temporarily stabilized itself. They’ll face a special-teams unit in New York’s that nearly beat Tampa Bay on a blocked-field-goal return for a touchdown. 41-year-old Nick Folk is 9-of-9 on field goals this year, too. Edge: Even

Coaching: Aaron Glenn was once Sean Payton’s secondary coach in New Orleans, and Payton called him a “tremendous coach” this week. He is a coach, however, who only has five games under his belt. Payton just passed Parcells with 173 career NFL victories. Edge: Broncos

Tale of the tape

By the numbers

7: Sacks the Jets’ defense has recorded through five games. Also, the number of sacks Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto has recorded this season.

7: Touchdowns that New York has given up in Cover 0 (no deep safety) this season, most in the NFL.

7.0: Average yards per passing play that New York has given up this season, fifth-highest in the NFL.

17: Rushing yards that Vance Joseph’s Broncos defense has given up on quarterback-scramble attempts, the lowest in the NFL.

6.6:��Jets quarterback Justin Fields’ average yards-per-attempt on carries this season.

90%: Jets receiver Garrett Wilson’s catch rate this year against man coverage.

X-factors

�����DzԳ��Dz�:��CB Pat Surtain II. Kind of dumb to call the Broncos’ best player an X-factor, but a lot will ride Sunday on his matchup with Garrett Wilson. New York has no other consistent option in the passing game: Their next-highest producing wideout is Tyler Johnson with 63 yards in four games. Surtain matches up frequently in man-to-man, and Wilson’s burned man-to-man so far this season. Grab your popcorn.

����ٲ�:��TE Mason Taylor. One highly-touted rookie tight end already burned Vance Joseph’s defense this year, as Tyler Warren showed out in the Colts’ Week 2 win over the Broncos. Taylor will likely be heavily involved Sunday, as he’s already racked up 20 catches in five games and could pose matchup issues for Denver over the middle of the field. Expect his number to get called often with Surtain checking Wilson, too.

Post predictions

Parker Gabriel, Broncos writer: Broncos 27, Jets 13.

If this game were in Denver or even New Jersey, it’d have the trappings of a trap game. Instead, Sean Payton’s had the distinct privilege of sequestering his team away at a castle-esque outpost in Ware — where?! — a town well north of London proper. The group has had nothing to do but football. They’ll have had no choice but to get the message loud and clear. Plus, one of Payton’s biggest strengths the past two years has been having Denver ready to beat opponents it should beat. This is one of those games. If the Broncos keep Breece Hall bottled up and run the football well themselves, this should be a nice stroll through St. James Park.

Luca Evans, Broncos writer: Broncos 34, Jets 17

After watching the tape back from Philadelphia, it seems Bo Nix has found something. It seems Sean Payton has found something, too, with his running game. The pieces are set to perfectly align in London against a Jets defense that blitzes all the time but struggles to properly pressure. This could shape up as one of the cleaner and better games of Nix’s young NFL tenure. Joseph’s pass-rush might experience a bit of fatigue after running the same containment game plan two weeks in a row, but this should still be a blowout. Thinking the Jets score a couple times early and once in garbage time.

Troy Renck, Broncos writer: Broncos 27, Jets 10

If the Broncos cannot beat the Jets after knocking off the undefeated Eagles, there is no reason to come back home. The Jets stink. Every fringe fan will be cheering for the Broncos. And they will have reason to get loud as J.K. Dobbins continues chewing up yards and spitting out defenders, freeing up Bo Nix for gash plays on bootlegs. Justin Fields will not be as lucky. Look for Broncos’ defense to produce five sacks, including two for Nik Bonitto, as Broncos continue a trend from last season of smashing the NFL’s dregs.

Sean Keeler, Broncos writer: Broncos 26, Jets 20.

Trap game in cloudy London? Nah. Losing Ben Powers dings Sean Payton’s new ground-and-pound mojo, but probably only a little. Meanwhile, Justin Fields is running for his life and hanging on to his NFL future by a pinkie finger. The Jets rank seventh in opponent sack rate allowed, which plays right into the hands of the NFL’s best pass rush like (British) beans on toast. The only opponent more dangerous than a defending Super Bowl champ is an NFL roster that hasn’t won a game after a month of trying. Unless, of course, that team is the Jets.

In the two biggest defensive plays of Denver’s 2024 win against the New York Jets, the Broncos defensive coordinator blitzed then-Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Inside linebacker Justin Strnad sacked Rodgers on the first play of the game, and then safety P.J. Locke stormed off the edge and sacked Rodgers on an all-out, seven-man blitz on fourth-and-10 in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos finished the season with a 35.7% blitz rate overall as Joseph played man coverage extensively and blitzed seemingly at will.

He’s certainly still got plenty of blitz ideas at his disposal this year, but so far through five games, his Denver defense has been heating up quarterbacks without needing to commit extra rushers.

The Broncos have 22 more sacks than any other team since the start of 2024 and have once again stormed out to an early lead with 21 total sacks this fall, five more than anybody else in football.

They’ve done so in 2025, though, with just one game where the team’s blitz rate was above 33.3%, according to Next Gen Stats. Denver’s overall blitz rate is only marginally lower so far this year at 34.2%, but that����ap largely because Joseph’s group brought more than four pass-rushers 68.2% of the time against Indianapolis in Week 2.

Otherwise, their weekly blitz and pressure rates look like this:

• Week 1 vs. Tennessee: 29.4% blitz, 50% pressure

• Week 3 at L.A. Chargers: 24.5% blitz, 54.7% pressure

• Week 4 vs. Cincinnati: 13.8% blitz, 37.9% pressure

• Week 5 at Philadelphia: 33.3% blitz, 33.3% pressure

That����ap getting the job done without needing extra rushers to do it.

“I want us to be smart bullies,” Joseph said Thursday. “I don’t want to pressure and expose a corner or expose a linebacker. Every pressure we have is calculated and thought through on matchups. Can we pressure the quarterback? If we don’t, what do our matchups look like? I think we do a great job.

“Sometimes it doesn’t work out in our favor, but that����ap always our purpose when we’re pressuring is to have our best matchups while we’re pressuring. So it����ap a balancing act.”

Having pass-rushers the caliber of Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers certainly helps in that pursuit, but so does getting creative in how four-man rushes look.

Joseph put on a clinic of simulating pressure Sunday against Philadelphia on third downs in particular.

In 13 third-down looks, Joseph showed six, seven or even eight defenders at the line of scrimmage, signalling the kind of all-out blitz look that helped win a game at New York last year.

The Eagles false-started twice, and on the other 11 snaps, Denver’s defense racked up three sacks and five pressures and held quarterback Jalen Hurts to 3-of-8 passing and two first downs despite only sending more than four rushers one time.

Once, the four middle players bailed out into coverage while safety Talanoa Hufanga and nickel Ja’Quan McMillian served as half of Denver’s rushers and McMillian tracked Hurts down for a sack.

A week earlier against Cincinnati, the Broncos so thoroughly discombobulated the Bengals’ front that four players tried to block Allen while both Bonitto and Cooper stormed past the tackles looking for a front.

Three-on-six, advantage to the three.

“That����ap the way to blitz these days,” Joseph said. “The ball’s coming out really, really fast. There’s a lot of pass game. So it����ap fun to find pressures that can get home with four or five and still have good coverage. That����ap the game plan each week.”

Joseph credits having certain looks that can “trap” an offense in certain protections if you can decode what the opponent likes to do and when.

“To create a free runner and only bring four or five is key, right?” Joseph said. “Because then you can have more coverage. When you’re bringing heavy, heavy pressure, the coverage is usually really, really weak. But with a simulated pressure, you can bring less guys and still have a strong pressure, but stronger coverage.

“That����ap the point. And that����ap just film study. Our staff does a great job of finding the soft spots in protections.”

Perhaps the most impressive part about Denver’s rush against Philadelphia: They sacked Hurts five times and yet only let him scramble once for 3 yards.

That takes discipline and unselfishness, according to Allen.

“You watch the film and guys aren’t winning with the prettiest rushes,” Allen said. “We rushed to win the game that week. It wasn’t that we were rushing to have the sexy numbers or any of the win rates or anything like that. Guys really put their egos aside.

“When you do that, especially with a group like ours that, we obviously are competitive and want good numbers, it just shows how close we all are.”

Denver faces another dangerous rusher this week in Justin Fields, whom Joseph said is a better runner than Hurts.

Fields has rushed 31 times for 204 yards (6.6 per carry) and three touchdowns in New York’s first five games.

That likely means more simulated pressure looks and more rushes to cage Fields. Two items on the checklist that are easier said than done, but at which the Denver defensive front has excelled this season.

“We’ve got a lot of smart guys, so we can do a lot of different things,” Allen said. “There’s times where you see across the league where maybe guys can’t pick up that much stuff, and they get pretty predictable. But we’re able to mix it up, and that makes all of our jobs easier.

“Having Vance, he makes it simple for us but also complicated for offenses, and that����ap huge.”