Broncos defense seeks to bounce back after shaky performance in win over Browns

As thrilling and exciting as Denver’s Week 13 win over Cleveland was, the defense has put that performance in a lock box and thrown away the key.

Yes, the unit helped secure the victory by recording three interceptions, including two pick-6s. But the group holds itself to a certain standard, and that wasn’t met during the back-and-forth contest. The Broncos gave up 552 total yards — the third-most yards allowed by any team this season, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

With the Broncos’ postseason chances hanging in the balance over the next four games, defensive lineman Zach Allen said the team has examined the good and bad from their matchup against the Browns, and believes they have a plan in place to maintain their status as one of the league’s best defenses.

“I think guys came in with a really good mindset of how to improve on it,” Allen said. “Give Cleveland credit, they had a really good plan against us. A lot of it, too, was us not executing fully. But we talked about it, and I think we made the right adjustments.”

Allen has been at the forefront of rejuvenating Denver’s defensive line after struggling a season ago. He has the most pressures (49) and is seventh in tackles (47) among defensive tackles, according to Next Gen Stats. As a whole, the Broncos have generated the most sacks (47) and pressures (212) in the league.

But given the success of Denver’s front seven, Allen has noticed offenses trying different ways to prevent Denver from generating pressure.

Against the Browns, Allen was double-teamed on 38.3% of his pass-rush snaps (60). Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers was double-teamed on 29.7% of his pass-rush snaps (37).

Allen has been double-teamed the sixth-most (157) this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

“We’ve been having success, but in the past few weeks, we’ve been seeing a lot of (chips and) max protections, which is a compliment,” Allen said. “But we’ve got to figure out a way to get home (and get) some pressure in those looks.”

Denver’s secondary was perhaps the most frustrated by the team’s previous outing. The Broncos gave up 475 passing yards — the most in a game in franchise history, according to Pro Football Reference.

Denver’s miscommunication, an issue that plagued the secondary at times last year, led to irritation on the sideline, which was quelled by cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian’s pick-6 in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos have given up 387.5 passing yards in the last two games.

“It’s finding a way to get your best players against their top receiver,” Payton said. “There were a handful of things — not just on defense, but in all three phases — that we would’ve done differently, and we have to learn from that.”

Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said the time away from football ahead of a critical final stretch could be beneficial. The Broncos needed the week off due to injuries to safety Brandon Jones (groin) and cornerback Riley Moss (knee).

If Moss, who sustained an MCL injury in Las Vegas in Week 12, remains sidelined, rookie cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine could see more time after playing 11 defensive snaps against the Browns. Payton was pleased with Abrams-Draine’s effort and said the former Missouri standout has gotten stronger physically.

“We (had) a 13-week stretch without a bye,” Surtain said. “It’s good to get the rest that we need and finish the season off strong.”

Broncos add linebacker to practice squad: Denver signed 23-year-old linebacker K.J. Cloyd to the practice squad, the team announced Tuesday. Cloyd, an undrafted free agent, played three seasons at Louisville and one at Miami, where he had 44 tackles and a pair of sacks in 13 games played in 2023.

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