Broncos Must Have an Answer to Bears' Biggest Defensive Threat

The Denver Broncos have been mostly great on offense when on script, with the second-highest EPA per play in the NFL. Traditionally, the script is based on the first 15 plays of the game.

Ironically, the Broncos sit only behind the Miami Dolphins in that category when on script. The issue with the offense is when the Broncos get off script, their EPA/play drops to fifth-worst in the NFL.

That's only a part of Denver's issues on offense. The Broncos also struggle to reliably move the chains on third down, ranking 24th in third-down conversion percentage. The Broncos have scored only 15 points in the second half, and six of them came on a lucky Hail Mary touchdown, which is a problem.

While the Chicago Bears have many issues with their team on both sides of the ball, they have some talent on defense. Andrew Billings has been a capable defensive lineman, while Jaquan Brisker, Eddie Jackson, and Jaylon Johnson are having a good start in the secondary, though the latter two have been ruled out for Week 4.

In the middle of Chicago's defense, there's T.J. Edwards, who is playing good football on a bad team. So, which Bears' defender poses the biggest threat to the Broncos?

That would go to Johnson if he was playing in the game. He has the third-highest coverage grade from Pro Football Focus among corners with at least 90 coverage snaps and is tied for the fourth-lowest completion percentage allowed, allowing 47.1% of targets to be caught.

Johnson is playing at a high level to start the season, but it essentially goes unnoticed because of all the other issues with the Bears' defense. The corner opposite him, rookie Tyrique Stevenson, is being picked on and has allowed two touchdowns and a near-perfect passer rating when targeted.

Also missing from the game will be the aforementioned Jackson, who is out with a foot injury. That makes finding Chicago's biggest defensive threat a lot more complicated, but there's still one player who stands out, especially considering with whom he'll mostly be matching up on the Broncos' offense.

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The player is, ironically, one that many fans wanted the Broncos to sign before they brought in Frank Clark. That would be Yannick Ngakoue, who leads the Bears in total pressures and has their lone sack.

Many things can be said about this Bears defense and how bad it is, but don't let the one sack on the season fool you. This team has done a great job getting after the quarterback and doing so quickly.

Chicago's average time until pressure is 2.57 seconds, and Russell Wilson is well known for holding onto the ball, and he has the third-longest average time to throw at 2.93 seconds. Ngakoue has always been a talented pass rusher, even though he has bounced around the NFL over the past few years. The weakness of his game comes as a run defender, which is where the Broncos should look to attack him.

Most of the time, Ngakoue will attack the right tackle, which means facing off against Mike McGlinchey, who has been the Broncos' worst lineman, allowing 13 pressures and two sacks this season. This is not a favorable matchup for the Broncos, so Ngakoue will be the biggest threat.

The Broncos need to attack the Bears' defense on the ground with a quick passing game. While they only have one sack, the Bears' defense does a good job of applying pressure.

Wilson needs the offensive line to hold up so the Broncos can take their shots, but this would be a game to rely on the run game and a quicker passing game. When he hits the back foot of his drop, he's got to get the ball out.

There are a few ways the Broncos can limit Ngakoue's impact. The Bears will be without the big gun — Johnson — and the defense collectively isn't overly talented.

The Broncos should look good and play a complete game in this one, but they must go out and execute.

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