Broncos pass rush prepares for QB who hasn’t been sacked this season

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos knew what they’d be facing this season as opponents looked to counter a pass rush that led the NFL in sacks in each of the last two years.

They’d see opposing quarterbacks get the ball out quicker. Short-to-intermediate throws designed to prevent the team’s pass rushers from getting to the spot and disrupting in the way they did the last two seasons — particularly from off the edge. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph spoke about this during the preseason, and from the Aug. 21 visit from the Green Bay Packers onward, this has been the norm.

Their quarterback-hit tally is down, but only slightly: from an average of 9.6 per game last year to 8.9 so far this season. But after averaging four sacks per game last season to set a franchise record while topping the league, the sack count is down this season, to 2.7 per game, putting the Broncos on pace for 45 sacks.

That tally wouldn’t be bad; it was good for 12th in the NFL last season. It puts the Broncos in a four-way tie for seventh in the league through three games.

“Usually (there is) kind of regression to the mean,” said defensive end Zach Allen, who leads the Broncos with three sacks already this season. “We’ll see how it all ends up at the end of the year.”

For now, though, success for the Broncos’ pass rush can be measured in different ways.

“We can’t control if quarterbacks are just going to throw it, but if we get off the field on third down, that’s all that matters,” Allen said.

“… We pride ourselves on just affecting the game and certain games call for you know a lot of sacks, certain games call for trying to get a tipped ball or something like that.”

This Sunday’s duel with the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers could be one of those games.

IF BRONCOS GET A SACK, IT WILL BE THE FIRST ALLOWED BY SAN FRANCISCO THIS SEASON

The 49ers are the first team since the 2023 Green Bay Packers to allow no sacks in the first three games of the regular season.

Some of that is a credit to San Francisco’s pass protection, led by stalwart Trent Williams, a player Allen calls “the best tackle of all time.”

But equal credit must be bestowed on Kyle Shanahan’s play design and sequencing, a ground game that is taking the pressure off by racking up 134 yards per game and 5.1 yards per attempt, and quarterback Brock Purdy’s rapid-fire decision-making.

“He’s playing at a real high level, very decisive,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “He’s through his progressions fast. Kyle [Shanahan] and those guys have done a great job, whether he’s under center or in the gun. The mix of run, play(-action) pass and dropback is impressive.

“You see in three weeks, not only no sacks, first in third down, first in red zone, very efficient. He’s making all the throws.”

Added Allen: “They mix up protections really well and Brock, he’s so smart that he’s getting the ball (out) kind of like (Rams quarterback Matthew) Stafford.

“His time to throw isn’t high and they do so well on first and second down that they aren’t in too bad of a position on third down and so, that combination there is pretty lethal.

“When you see the no-sacks (statistic), you see why.”

It’s not exactly the ideal tonic for a defense looking to recapture its sack-happy ways, but if the Broncos can disrupt Purdy enough to create some potential takeaways, the defense can find success just the same.

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