OT: Broncos Defense and their All-Time rating

fightingirish595 · Feb 8, 2016

I got them in my top 5. Crazy pass rush. When you dont get their, seems like their coverage is great and its hard to get open. Probably the only team to win a superbowl with a terrible run game and pass game. Think about what they did this year with the way the rules are. They led the league in almost every category on defense. They won games they looked like they had no business winning because they forced a turnover and brought it to the house. Great defenses score. I think the 85 Bears are hands down the best of all time. 76 Steelers right behind them. and then the 2000 ravens. I got the Broncos at number 4 slightly ahead of the Seahawks and Buccaneers

fair catch fryar · Feb 8, 2016

I'll admit that I was blinded by my hatred and contempt for that classless organization and d-bag fanbase, but that was quite a performance put on by Denver's defense. I still don't feel they are in the top 5, maybe top 5 performances, but they were beatable by the Pats with depleted offenses each game this year and can only imagine if the Pats were fully healthy. Just to put it in perspective, I think the Jets defense of 2009 & 2010 was better than Denver's D this year.

fightingirish595 · Feb 8, 2016

fair catch fryar said:
I'll admit that I was blinded by my hatred and contempt for that classless organization and d-bag fanbase, but that was quite a performance put on by Denver's defense. I still don't feel they are in the top 5, maybe top 5 performances, but they were beatable by the Pats with depleted offenses each game this year and can only imagine if the Pats were fully healthy. Just to put it in perspective, I think the Jets defense of 2012 was better than Denver's D this year.

You must be thinking of a Jets defense from another season

PatsGirl2011 · Feb 8, 2016

Is this the Denver Broncos forum? Anyways, I think they were great for 2 games straight, but not a total shut down defense. They remind me of the Giants during their 07 run to the SB.

fightingirish595 · Feb 8, 2016

PatsGirl2011 said:
Is this the Denver Broncos forum? Anyways, I think they were great for 2 games straight, but not a total shut down defense. They remind me of the Giants during their 07 run to the SB.

Not a total shutdown defense? they led the league in almost ever statistical category. Their defense bailed them out in games they had no business winning!

PF_SU · Feb 8, 2016

fightingirish595 said:
You must be thinking of a Jets defense from another season

Either the 2009 or 2010 one probably, although the 2009 is the superior one the 2010 one beat the 14-2 Patriots.

As for your ranking, I think you are overrating them by putting them ahead of the 2002 Buccaneers and 2013 Seahawks. I personally consider the 2002 Bucs to be even better than the 2000 Ravens, it was literally impossible to pass against that Tampa 2 working at its best. They outdefended the league average by a bigger margin than the Ravens in 2000. Meanwhile the 2013 Seahawks in a comparable era have the Broncos beat in points, turnover, total yardage, pass defence, points per drive, you name it, only in the running defence have the Broncos an advantage.

The (relative) weakness of this Broncos D is that they can't shut down the big plays as thoroughly as the 2013 Seahawks for example. The Seahawks only allowed six plays that went for more than 40 yards (regular season and playoffs). Meanwhile the Broncos this year allowed 12 of them (the Pats this year ended the year at 10 such plays).

fair catch fryar · Feb 8, 2016

fightingirish595 said:
You must be thinking of a Jets defense from another season

My bad, I meant the 2010 season defense. My point is that Denver's D was good, but not great. Not even top 20 great IMO.

RobertWeathers · Feb 8, 2016

Below are the SB winners with better defenses than the 2015 Broncos. Happy to debate.

1966
1967
1970
1971
1972
1974
1975
1977
1978
1982
1984
1985
1986
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
1996
2000
2002
2003
2005
2008
2013

glm · Feb 8, 2016

fightingirish595 said:
Not a total shutdown defense? they led the league in almost ever statistical category. Their defense bailed them out in games they had no business winning!

They didn't lead the league in categories such as TDs allowed, Defensive Passer Rating, or Turnovers. Their is no way in hell they can be considered a top 5 defense in NFL history. They aren't even the best defense this decade.

PF_SU · Feb 8, 2016

glm said:
They aren't even the best defense this decade.

Yes, as I said above I don't understand how you can rate this unit above the 2013 Seahawks. Blame it on the recency bias I guess. Let's do a little statistical comparison.

2015 Broncos
276 points (ST/defensive scores have been subtracted) allowed - 17.3 per game - 1.38 per drive
4530 yards allowed - 4.4 yards per play - 22.5 yards per drive - 27 turnovers forced
3193 passing yards allowed - 5.1 net yards per attempt - 19 passing TDs - 14 interceptions
1337 rushing yards allowed - 3.3 yards per attempt - 10 rushing TDs

2013 Seahawks
217 points allowed - 13.6 per game - 1.17 per drive
4378 yards allowed - 4.4 yards per play - 23.4 yards per drive - 39 turnovers forced
2752 passing yards allowed - 4.8 net yards per attempt - 16 passing TDs - 28 interceptions
1626 rushing yards allowed - 3.9 yards per attempt - 4 rushing TDs

Other than a superior run defense (that has allowed far more rushing TDs though) the 2013 Seahawks are superior in every other category. Generally from an eye-test perspective, while certainly dominant, this 2015 Broncos defense simply has more weaknesses than the 2013 Seahawks one. Their safeties and linebackers can't measure up to Thomas/Chancellor and Wagner/Wright.

letekro · Feb 8, 2016

They have to be near the very top. The Broncos won a Super Bowl with ZERO offense, THE ENTIRE YEAR. Manning was one of the worst QB's in the league and Osweiler was bottom quarter in QBR. Anderson and Hillman? Please. O-line was atrocious. Just a horrible offensive team that put the defense in terrible positions all year long. At least the 2000 Ravens had Jamal Lewis and a beastly OL. In a league with every rule favoring the offense, the Broncos held the Steelers, Pats, and Panthers--three excellent offenses that attack in 3 dramatically different ways--to 13 ppg. Just remarkable. And the talent level is very high. Miller and Ware are potential HOFers. Talib, Harris and Roby is the best CB threesome in the league. Their interior rushers are excellent. Fast LBs, decent safeties. Great group.

RWeathers-I see you only have one team in the pass happy era better than these Broncos---2013 Seahawks. Hard to argue with that one, but these Broncos were very, very good.

Kontradiction · Feb 8, 2016

The 2003 Patriots and 2008 Steelers are two teams from the modern era, other than the 2013 Seahawks, that are disrespected by your ranking of the Broncos.

PF_SU · Feb 8, 2016

letekro said:
In a league with every rule favoring the offense, the Broncos held the Steelers, Pats, and Panthers--three excellent offenses that attack in 3 dramatically different ways--to 13 ppg.

Their performance was impressive but you also have to mention that the Steelers played with a Roethlisberger on a broken shoulder and no Antonio Brown who in their regular season matchup absolutely torched Chris Harris. Meanwhile the Patriots possessed a fatal flaw with their offensive line which played right into the strength of the Denver defense while the short passing game was hobbled with Edelman not at 100% and no Dion Lewis.

STLRAMBRINGER · Feb 8, 2016

Posting the seahawks when defensive holding is now active in the league as a penalty.....

Denver is better then Seattles D. Who literally held people on every play. NFL made the rule just for them.

PatsfanCP · Feb 8, 2016

2013 Seahawks were better

And the 2010 jets had a monster defense

The 2008 steelers were good to

This Denver defense was something special this year

LightSkinSmurf · Feb 8, 2016

letekro said:
They have to be near the very top. The Broncos won a Super Bowl with ZERO offense, THE ENTIRE YEAR. Manning was one of the worst QB's in the league and Osweiler was bottom quarter in QBR. Anderson and Hillman? Please. O-line was atrocious. Just a horrible offensive team that put the defense in terrible positions all year long. At least the 2000 Ravens had Jamal Lewis and a beastly OL. In a league with every rule favoring the offense, the Broncos held the Steelers, Pats, and Panthers--three excellent offenses that attack in 3 dramatically different ways--to 13 ppg. Just remarkable. And the talent level is very high. Miller and Ware are potential HOFers. Talib, Harris and Roby is the best CB threesome in the league. Their interior rushers are excellent. Fast LBs, decent safeties. Great group.

RWeathers-I see you only have one team in the pass happy era better than these Broncos---2013 Seahawks. Hard to argue with that one, but these Broncos were very, very good.

That's what makes it even more amazing to me. I said it before they won the game. If they win the SB with THAT offense, what a credit it would be to that defense. I figured you needed SOME kind of offense to win a damn SB......... I guess if your defense is elite enough you don't.

50-yard-line · Feb 8, 2016

PF_SU said:
Yes, as I said above I don't understand how you can rate this unit above the 2013 Seahawks. Blame it on the recency bias I guess. Let's do a little statistical comparison.

2015 Broncos
276 points (ST/defensive scores have been subtracted) allowed - 17.3 per game - 1.38 per drive
4530 yards allowed - 4.4 yards per play - 22.5 yards per drive - 27 turnovers forced
3193 passing yards allowed - 5.1 net yards per attempt - 19 passing TDs - 14 interceptions
1337 rushing yards allowed - 3.3 yards per attempt - 10 rushing TDs

2013 Seahawks
217 points allowed - 13.6 per game - 1.17 per drive
4378 yards allowed - 4.4 yards per play - 23.4 yards per drive - 39 turnovers forced
2752 passing yards allowed - 4.8 net yards per attempt - 16 passing TDs - 28 interceptions
1626 rushing yards allowed - 3.9 yards per attempt - 4 rushing TDs

Other than a superior run defense (that has allowed far more rushing TDs though) the 2013 Seahawks are superior in every other category. Generally from an eye-test perspective, while certainly dominant, this 2015 Broncos defense simply has more weaknesses than the 2013 Seahawks one. Their safeties and linebackers can't measure up to Thomas/Chancellor and Wagner/Wright.

I was about to post something similar. Put Wagner and Chancellor on the Broncos this year and that would be scary, like the Seahawks of the last couple of years.

Ice_Ice_Brady · Feb 9, 2016

Top 5 Super Bowl and overall playoff performance, yes.

The defense came together and fired on all cylinders at the right time of the year. They were already very good but then went up a level in the postseason.

Overall, though, 17.3 ppg, the most important number...was that even the best scoring defense in 2015?

AzorianPats · Feb 9, 2016

Playoff performance wise, it was one of the best I've seen.

They shutdown Roethlisberger, Brady and Newton combined 1TD.

glm · Feb 9, 2016

STLRAMBRINGER said:
Posting the seahawks when defensive holding is now active in the league as a penalty.....

Denver is better then Seattles D. Who literally held people on every play. NFL made the rule just for them.

You are so dumb. Defensive holding already was a penalty.

OT: Broncos Defense and their All-Time rating

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