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Jeremiah Attaochu has been an excellent find. The Denver Broncos signed him not long after Bradley Chubb was lost for the year. 

Attaochu has really started to emerge for the Broncos and had a good game against the Texans in Week 14. There were many to choose from, but I settled on three plays that really show what he has brought to the Broncos defense. 

Join me as I break down Attaochu's Week 14 performance and why he has really come on strong to impress the Broncos coaches. 

Play 1: 5:16 | First Quarter

Situation: 1st-&-10

This is the first sack that Attaochu had in the game. He is attacking the right tackle, but he is also reading the running back. If the RB stayed in to block, Attaochu keeps going after the QB. Since the RB ran a route, Attaochu pulls off the QB and trails.

On the left side, OLB Justin Hollins whips around the right end and gets pressure on the Deshaun Watson, who steps up and to the left to avoid the pressure. Despite not being pressured that direction, the QB runs out to the right. As he does this, the RB runs with him to provide the QB a receiver. However, there was no spot to throw because Attaochu was sticking step for step with the RB. 

Before Watson can pick up any yards with his legs, Attaochu throws off the RB and quickly closes to force the QB out of bounds. Attaochu is a smart player, and he highlights that here with his reading of the play from start to finish. He also shows off good reactionary athleticism to stick with the RB, then the strength to toss him to force Watson out of bounds. 

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Play 2: 1:37 | First Quarter 

Situation: 2nd-&-5

This is very much a coverage sack that Attaochu picks up. He is fully rushing the QB, and the RT essentially shuts him out of the play. It took Attaochu four moves to finally break free of the block and get after the QB. By then, the tackle had pushed him on a wide arc. 

Attaochu should be thanking Adam Gotsis and Watson for this sack. While he doesn’t get clean pressure, Gotsis’ fighting with the guard makes Watson uneasy and moves around the pocket. Watson also holds the ball too long and misses an open receiver. Will Parks has bad positioning over the middle and also ends up stumbling after a crisp cut by the receiver. 

Gotsis’ pressure made it hard for Watson to hit the receiver that left Parks stumbling. By the time Watson resets his feet and goes to make the throw, Attaochu is there to hit Watson. The QB had a receiver but just couldn’t get comfortable in the pocket to make the throw. Good thing Attaochu closed this play because if Watson hits the receiver, he has a good shot for the touchdown. 

Play 3: 9:10 | Second Quarter 

Situation: 1st-&-10

This final play is another where Attaochu is reading the play and reacting. He first checks the tight end as he gets into his route to keep any kind of quick pass from happening there. He then turns on the jets and gets after Watson, forcing him off to the right. With the chase on, Watson is forced to throw on the move and the other tight end couldn’t come down with the catch. 

This is a solid play-design from the Texans, but it is poorly executed, and Attaochu makes the smart play to keep it from unfolding the way it was drawn up. 

The Takeaway

Ever since Attaochu was brought in, he has been getting better each week. He's only under contract for this season, but he is showing his value to stick around. 

“Obviously, he got a couple sacks," head coach Vic Fangio said on Monday. "It was a hard game for those guys. They dropped back and threw the ball 60-something times yesterday. I know statistically, a bunch of those get counted as runs when he scrambles, but it was 60-something passes. That’s a lot. We got shorthanded there with our pass rushers, so it was a tough day for those guys from a fatigue standpoint. I thought he [Attaochu] battled it well and gave us some good rushes.”

It will come down to cost, and with what he has shown, it wouldn’t be surprising if another team offers him good money and a chance to compete for a starting role. His play has shown he belongs out there on the football field. 

“He’s been playing a lot and he’ll continue to play a lot," Fangio said. 

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle