Film Room: Evaluating Broncos' DL Dre'Mont Jones in a Tough Matchup at Arrowhead
The Denver Broncos defense played a good game against the Kansas City Chiefs, although they did make some mistakes and were gifted with multiple dropped passes from the opponent. As he has been all season, one of the more consistent Broncos was interior defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones.
Jones was facing off against a tough Chiefs' interior offensive line, even though it boasted two rookies. There were multiple plays where he got pressure on Patrick Mahomes and he played well against the run overall.
It was a rough start for Jones, but he balanced out and started making a more consistent impact. In addition, he has proven to be a stud on the defensive line, despite not generating a big stat-line, and these plays reveal the impact that doesn't always show up in the box score.
Play 1 | First Quarter | 9:07
Situation: 2nd-&-8
Jones is lining up against the left guard on this snap and manages to walk him back into the lap of the quarterback. Jones then gets underneath his opponent's pads off the snap and gets the LG on his heels. Unfortunately, LB Kenny Young was matched with WR Tyreek Hill, so Mahomes had an early option to get rid of the ball.
At the start of the play, Jones shows off his use of leverage which he has used consistently throughout the season. Next, Jones shows off his non-stop motor after chasing down Hill from behind to make the tackle.
Play 2 | First Quarter | 2:34
Situation: 3rd-&-15
Chiefs' rookie right guard Trey Smith has good strength to control the snap, so leverage and quickness are Jones' best option to attack. After the snap, Jones is quick to hit the outside shoulder, the B-gap between the guard and tackle, and uses leverage to get under the shoulder and drive through.
While Jones doesn't get pressure here, and the defense gets bailed out by a dropped pass, it's still a good play from Jones. It shows his maturity as a pass rusher and his understanding of recognizing and attacking weak points. He has taken his play to the next level this season to become a force on the defensive line.
Play 3 | Second Quarter | 12:48
Situation: 2nd-&-10
A little later in the game, Jones hits Smith with another quick move. He swims over and quickly shoots the A-gap as the center and LG double team, Shelby Harris. Once Jones gets past Smith, he puts pressure on the quarterback and forces a quicker throw.
CB Kyle Fuller swarmed up to force an incompletion — an incompletion that frankly looked a lot like a fumble based on the rules. The NFL explained it away based on the amount of time TE Travis Kelce possessed the ball, despite him making a clear 'football move' to secure the catch.
Play 4 | Third Quarter | 13:48
Situation: 3rd-&-1
Right off the snap, Jones shoots the B-gap to turn the right tackle and force the ball-carrier to change direction. S Justin Simmons took out the outside lane, drawing the lead blocker to try and cut him off. Another defender had the inside lane but held back, which was rookie CB Patrick Surtain II.
Jones set the defense up to get off the field on this third down, but the Broncos' supporting cast failed him. Unfortunately, there have been multiple plays like that this season, which has kept Jones from having a more prolific season statistically.
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