Fangio Reveals Secret Component To Broncos Notching Seven Sacks vs Titans
Vic Fangio finally has this Denver Broncos defense firing on all cylinders. The Broncos have hit their groove, and while much of it has to do with the personnel changes the team has made to the front seven over the last two games, some of it can also be attributed to time spent on task.
Fangio's defense is a bit more complex than the press-man coverage/one-gap attacking front the Broncos ran dating back to 2015. Naturally, it was going to take some time for even the most accomplished veterans in Denver to assimilate Fangio's system and really absorb it all.
In Week 5, the Broncos finally broke the ice on the takeaway front. Since that game, it feels as if the turnover floodgates have opened for Denver, as the defense now has six takeaways in the last eight quarters of play.
However, what surely led to the takeaways in Week 6 vs. the Tennessee Titans was the pass rush working on Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill. Denver notched a whopping seven sacks vs. Tennessee, a season-high.
It was only the second game all season the Broncos were even able to sack the QB, with Week 4 vs. Jacksonville being the other. But seven sacks, combined with three takeaways and zero points allowed, it feels like everything is coming together for Fangio's defense.
Following the Broncos' 16-0 shutout victory over the Titans, Fangio explained how his defense was able to sack the Titans so many times.
“I think a lot of it was the backend helping the front end," Fangio said immediately following the game. "A lot of those sacks seemed to me happening late in the down, so the coverage was good. I think most sacks are that way, to be honest with you. If the quarterback can throw in time and in rhythm, it’s hard to get there. You need to make the quarterback look to option two or three, and that gives the rush time to get there. We got there enough today.”
Fangio is right on the money. Just take a look at the Broncos' first three opponents of this season, in which the defense was unable to notch a sack or take the ball away even once. QBs like Derek Carr, Mitchell Trubisky and Aaron Rodgers were able to get rid of the ball at around the 2-second mark, completely neutralizing any pass rush the Broncos could get going.
The back-end coverage simply wasn't there yet. Even with the likes of Chris Harris, Jr. and Kareem Jackson patrolling the defensive backfield, it took some time for the Broncos' DBs to settle into Fangio's at times complex coverage schemes and play fast and with confidence.
“I think anytime you play well it feels that way," Fangio said. "It’s just like baseball. When a team gets shutout or scores one run, everybody says they look lethargic. Well, they just couldn’t hit the pitcher. They couldn’t get on base to create anything. They played well and when you play well, the adrenaline amplifies a little bit and it seems that you’re more comfortable and more confident, thus the feeling you get. I think it’s a product of playing well.”
A palpable change has occurred in that department over the last two weeks. These cornerbacks, even as depleted as the unit has been, are covering guys and as Fangio said, it's forcing the QB to hold onto the ball a beat or two longer, going through their progressions. That's all it takes for the likes of Von Miller, DeMarcus Walker and that Broncos' front seven to get home.
The pass rush has a symbiotic relationship with the coverage. Even without Bryce Callahan, De'Vante Bausby and Duke Dawson, the Broncos' back-end coverage is coming together, playing fast and helping that pass rush get home.
It took a little longer than Fango would have liked, certainly, but there's no doubting that the Broncos have finally arrived defensively. It'll be interesting to see how well this defense can hold up against an increasingly desperate Kansas City Chiefs squad with Patrick Mahomes pulling the trigger.
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