Going into a Monday Night Football showdown with the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has his unite playing at an elite level.
The Broncos rank third in total yards allowed (296.0), eighth in passing yards allowed (199.8), sixth in rushing yards allowed (96.2) and second in points allowed (16.8) per game this season. Denver’s 15 takeaways rank 10th and their 44 sacks rank first in the league.
“It’s obviously a really good defense,” Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey told reporters on Friday. “Vance does a great job with those guys. They’re aggressive, not only in style of play, but also individuals on their team. They’ve got a lot of guys who can rush the passer. When you look at it, it’s not just one guy, it’s multiple guys, both on the outside and inside. And then Vance does a great job getting him in position to do that and creating matchups, creating opportunities for those guys. Whether it’s the front variations, whether it’s the different pressure variations and things like that.
“And then obviously, I think that pass rush allows those outside guys to be extremely effective as well. And obviously they got one of the best corners in the league out there. They’re talented around him as well in the secondary. So, it’s a great challenge. It’s a very good challenge for us. And you’ve got to be on your point. You got to be on top of your stuff. You got to be able to get in and out of the huddle quickly to give yourself time at the line of scrimmage and do those types of things to make sure that you’re maximizing your opportunities.”
Monday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Playing at home, the Broncos are considered favorites in Week 13.
