Film Room: Breaking Down Bradley Chubb's 2020 Sacks

Last year, the Denver Broncos lost Von Miller before the season, which put a lot of pressure on Bradley Chubb. This happened when Chubb himself was working back from a serious injury the year before, which led to a slow start to the 2020 campaign.

There wasn’t a single sack from Chubb until Week 4 when he went on to pick up 2.5 against the New York Jets. After that, he had five games with a single sack and didn’t have another multiple-sack game.

Chubb ended up producing a solid year with 7.5 sacks, and although it earned him his first Pro Bowl nod, Denver really needs more from him going forward. After all, he was the fifth overall pick back in the 2018 NFL draft, and it is getting close to that time where the team is going to have to decide on paying him.

With the 2021 season fast approaching, let’s break down the 7.5 sacks Chubb got in the 2020 season. There will be two parts to this, so let us dive into the first installment.

Sack 1: New York Jets | Second Quarter

Situation: 3rd-&-5

On this first play, the Jets are lined up 1x3 with a running back in the backfield. In this dime package, the Broncos have three down linemen, a stand-up rusher (Chubb), one linebacker, and six defensive backs. S Kareem Jackson comes down to take the inside slot receiver on the bottom of the screen.

However, the focus here is on Chubb, and off the snap, the Broncos bring a blitz with Alexander Johnson, the lone linebacker, coming up the middle. The running back picks him up, and Chubb is left with a one-on-one against the left tackle with a lot of space to work.

One key component to this sack for Chubb is Shelby Harris, who is lined up as a 4i-technique. Harris quickly swims over the Jets’ right guard and gets immediate pressure in the quarterback's face. This forces the quarterback to move his feet before he even gets off his first read.

At the top, Chubb stabs the left tackle to turn the corner just as the pressure from Harris is arriving. The quarterback goes to roll right as the pocket has completely collapsed, but Chubb is free of the block and can take the quarterback down for the sack.

This is what Vic Fangio loves to see, and really, that goes for any defensive coach. Your interior guy forces the quarterback to pause his reads and move his feet while your edge guy is beating the tackle. Both Harris and Chubb got credit for this sack, and both of them deserved it.

Chubb executed a stab move nearly perfectly, and clearly, it is something he has picked up from Miller as it is a Miller special. Then the pacing through his rush was also very nice as Chubb was able to get that extra burst at the right moment at the top of the arch to get by the tackle.

Sack 2: New York Jets | Fourth Quarter

Situation: 3-&-4

The Jets are in a 3x1 with the three bunched at the top of the screen with lone RB in the backfield. This was a very tight formation from the Jets and kept the Broncos defense in tight.

Denver has one down lineman with two edge rushers, two linebackers, and six defensive backs. It is yet another variation of Fangio’s dime packages. The Broncos have spacing at the top to handle the bunched receivers for any potential of a pick play. Both linebackers are also playing this close to the line of scrimmage.

Chubb is at the top, standing as a 7-technique stand-up rusher outside the left tackle. Off the snap, Chubb attacks the inside of the tackle and continues to drive his legs.

Both linebackers come up, with one keeping a blitz coming and the other rotating out to cover the running back in the flat. Then the one who blitzed stunts outside with Chubb cutting inside, forcing the left guard to move with him.

Stunts are extremely common in Fangio’s defense, and having the linebacker/edge do so was a nice twist to the attack. However, it strained the Jets' offensive line, and the QB was caught completely unaware as Johnson came screaming around the edge.

The overall sack of this, however, wasn’t very impressive. First, the QB ends up tripping and Chubb, still working through the middle, manages to notch the sack before he can get back up.

The design of the stunt is the most impressive aspect of this play, and it was executed extremely well. You also see Chubb’s drive and Johnson’s ability as a blitzer.

Sack 3: New York Jets | Fourth Quarter

Situation: 4-3

This was late in the game and a key play to put this one in the win column for Denver. The Broncos know it will be a pass play by the down and distance, but that is confirmed with the Jets going empty backfield. This was the final play before the two-minute warning.

The Jets are spreading out the Broncos’ secondary with a 2x3 and spacing between the receivers. However, they are down two points with time running out, making this first down crucial to maintaining possession.

The Broncos are playing it tight at the top and have most of their defensive backs sitting just beyond the first-down marker. So the Broncos are trying to force something quick and underneath to come up and make the play.

At the snap, Chubb takes a high arc and immediately puts a strain on the left tackle. Then, he gets to the chest and drives through before ripping under the arm and the top of the arch.

Once he rips under the left tackle, Chubb is right behind the QB and brings it down to try and club the ball free for a fumble. That doesn’t happen, but he gets the QB down for the sack and the turnover on downs.

Chubb can win his pass rush in multiple ways, and this highlights that. It wasn’t the most technical rip move, but it was effective and got the job done. Sometimes that is what matters.

Sack 4: New England Patriots | Third Quarter

Situation: 3rd-6

The Patriots are in a 1x2 with two RBs in the backfield. Denver has seven bodies within five yards of the line of scrimmage, clearly expecting a run. With so many close, the secondary is playing a match-quarters variation.

The Broncos only rush four off the snap and drop the rest into coverage, and Denver only rushes four. That was all they needed, thanks to Chubb.

Right on contact with the tackle, Chubb takes advantage of the bad pass set and gets the tackle on his heels. From there, he drives him back into the QB dand gets the strip-sack that, unfortunately, the Patriots did recover.

This was the best sack of the four from Chubb. He read the tackle and saw the bad set, and you can see he changed his plan of attack to maximize his advantage. Initially, Chubb would strain the outside shoulder to turn the arch, but he cuts it inside.

That is a pretty textbook case of plan adjustment from Chubb. There are many edge rushers in the NFL who stick with their plan, but you have to read the tackle and be able to adjust. Then adding to it, the technical aspect to the stab move to drive through was almost perfect.

The Takeaway

This was the start to Chubb really turning the corner for the Broncos. While he notched 2.5 sacks against the Jets, they were not necessarily the most impressive. This final sack, though, was extremely impressive because it all happened thanks to him.

With the Broncos getting Miller back, if Chubb can build off of last season, this team really could have an outstanding pass-rushing duo.

Don't miss Part II breaking down Chubb's 2020 sacks.

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