The Denver Broncos have set a franchise record with 58 sacks, leading the NFL. They hope to add to that total this Sunday when Carson Wentz fills in for Patrick Mahomes, with the Kansas City Chiefs resting some of their stars ahead of the playoffs.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph promised a more aggressive defense this season, and the pass rushers have responded with more sacks than any other Broncos team in the franchise’s 65-year history. The Broncos are averaging almost four sacks per game.
“Still kind of taken aback by it,” said outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper. “There’s been so many great players that played on the D-line here. We’re just humbled, honestly. I’m humbled about it, just want to get back to work.
I feel like our best ball still hasn’t been played for any one of us. We’re going to continue to grow as players and keep going. I just feel like the sky is the limit and this has given us a lot of confidence moving forward.”
Fifteen Broncos players have recorded a sack this season, led by outside linebacker Nik Bonitto with 11 1/2 sacks. He is the first Denver defender since 2018 to reach double-digit sacks, and Cooper, who has 9 1/2 sacks, could join him if he sacks Wentz on Sunday.
Defensive end Zach Allen is also close to double-digit sacks, with a career-best 8 1/2 sacks after sacking Joe Burrow three times last week. Allen’s back-to-back sacks of Burrow in overtime helped the Broncos break their 40-year franchise sack record.
“It’s really amazing, just knowing the types of guys that we have not only in that edge room but in the defensive tackle room,” Bonitto said. “We always have a rush plan each and every week.
Everyone always sticks to it, and we always are trying to find ways to work well together in the game. You can’t really just give it to one guy, there are so many guys that can contribute and help other guys get sacks. It’s me, Coop, JFM (John Franklin-Myers), and Zach, even the young guys like Till (OLB Dondrea Tillman) and (OLB) Jonah (Ellis). It’s just a collective group.”
Despite the record, the Broncos were disappointed after their loss to the Bengals, which kept them from clinching a playoff spot. “Yeah, Joe is elite for a reason,” Allen said. “I think it’s pretty hard not to say he’s a — if not THE — top quarterback in the league. There’s a reason why he got to the Super Bowl a couple years ago, wins big playoff games. Give him credit. He’s a gamer.”
The Broncos had success against Mahomes earlier in the season when they sacked him four times in Week 10. But Mahomes will sit out on Sunday as the Chiefs (15-1), having already secured the top seed in the AFC, face the Broncos (9-7), who need a win to end an eight-year playoff drought.
Denver will face many of the Chiefs’ backups, including Wentz, who is looking to showcase his skills and earn a starting role somewhere else in 2025.
This situation is similar to last year when Wentz filled in for Matthew Stafford in the Los Angeles Rams’ season finale. In that game, the Niners sacked him twice, but Wentz led the Rams to a 21-20 victory, throwing two touchdowns and scoring on a 12-yard run with 4:56 remaining, followed by a successful 2-point conversion pass.
A win or tie for the Broncos would send them to the playoffs for the first time since Super Bowl 50, which they won after the 2015 season. That team had a legendary defense, known for the “No Fly Zone” secondary and pass rushers DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller, helping them to a franchise-record 52 sacks.
Two Broncos rookies, Ellis and Tillman, have each recorded five sacks this season. Ellis, a seventh-round draft pick from Utah, and Tillman, who went undrafted out of Indiana and played for the Birmingham Stallions, have both made significant contributions. Safety Justin Strnad has three sacks, including one of Aaron Rodgers in his first NFL start.
