This is not the same Denver Broncos defense that was blown out by the Miami Dolphins 70-20 in September.
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has made several key changes since that blowout loss and Denver’s defense has flipped from a weakness to a strength.
Two weeks ago, the Broncos forced five turnovers in a 24-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Last week, Denver forced four turnovers in a 24-22 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
That marked the first time since 1998 that the Broncos forced nine turnovers in a two-game span and the first time since 1991 that the club had consecutive games with at least four takeaways.
“It was the difference [in the game],” coach Sean Payton said of the takeaways in Buffalo. “Our defensive takeaways — and honestly, it’ll be the key for us as we move forward these next few weeks. It’s just hard —the margins in our league are so close. Let’s say there are 12 possessions per team, on average. There might be a little more or less. I get a takeaway — that means I have 13 and you have 11.
“I get one more — I have 14, you have 10. You just start doing that math. We knew it was going to be really significant here. Josh [Allen] and Sean [McDermott] together are 33-1 when they win the turnover battle. That’s pretty significant, 33-1. But fortunately for us, we won that [Monday], and that had a lot to do — if not everything to do — with us winning the game.”
This week, Denver’s defense will face quarterback Josh Dobbs, who hasn’t thrown an interception through his first two games with the Minnesota Vikings. Earlier this season, Dobbs threw five interceptions in eight games with the Arizona Cardinals. Dobbs has also fumbled 11 times this year.
If the Broncos are continue to continue their three-game winning streak, forcing Dobbs into mistakes on Sunday could be a key to success.
