Keys to a Broncos upset of the Bills all lie within the defense

1 week ago 4

The Denver Broncos person their hands afloat this weekend. We each cognize it. The Buffalo Bills person consistently been 1 of the champion teams successful the NFL for a fistful of seasons present and Josh Allen has asserted himself arsenic 1 of the champion players successful the NFL.

But the crippled inactive has to beryllium played and the Bills volition inactive person to woody with a young, bare clump from the Mile High City.

From the Broncos' broadside of things, the absorption is going to beryllium connected however good rookie Bo Nix operates nether the unit of his archetypal playoff game. How volition helium grip everything the Bills propulsion astatine him? How volition helium woody with the sound from 1 of the astir raucous crowds successful the league?

It volition beryllium rather hard for the Broncos to travel distant with a triumph successful the Wild Card circular and if they do, Nix volition person to play well. But marque nary mistake, this squad is wherever it is close present due to the fact that of a tough, scrappy defense, and the keys to winning this crippled for the Broncos prevarication connected that broadside of the ball.

Denver Broncos keys to upsetting the Buffalo Bills

Pat Surtain II

The champion players marque the biggest quality and arsenic of close now, Pat Surtain is inactive the champion subordinate connected the Denver roster.

It appears that the Bills volition get Amari Cooper backmost for this game, which could beryllium large for them, but Surtain's quality to destruct 1 broadside of the tract could unit Allen to instrumentality a antithetic attack successful this game.

Allen's ultimate limb endowment gives him the assurance to propulsion the shot wherever helium feels similar it, but helium has been prone to turning the shot implicit successful his career. If Surtain tin support 1 of his receivers astatine bay, it could unit Allen into immoderate of those ill-advised throws.

Pat Surtain II & Riley Moss wholly successful sync. pic.twitter.com/xd8vVs19Ux

— DNVR Broncos (@DNVR_Broncos) January 9, 2025

It whitethorn not beryllium Surtain himself that makes the play, but it volition hap due to the fact that of him. Riley Moss and Ja'Quan McMillain request to beryllium connected alert for those errant throws from Allen arsenic helium could effort to unit throws successful this one.

Denver's beforehand seven

The Broncos led the full NFL with 63 sacks connected the season. Zach Allen is simply a subordinate that the Bills volition person to relationship for arsenic good arsenic the Denver beforehand tin overwhelm galore violative lines successful the league. Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper could play a immense relation successful this crippled disconnected the borderline arsenic the Broncos request to effort and illness the pouch arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable successful this one. .

But if and erstwhile they do, Cody Barton and Justin Strnad request to bash immoderate imaginable to bounds what Allen does with his legs. Allen is not acrophobic to person the pouch crumble astir him. In fact, helium mightiness beryllium adjacent amended erstwhile it does. The Broncos request to unit him into situations wherever helium has to spell against what helium usually does.

The Bills are mostly an assertive offense. The Broncos request to lucifer that aggression.

Vance Joseph calculating his blitzes

As mentioned earlier, the Broncos led the league successful sacks this year. They accomplished that with a defence that doesn't diagnostic a top-flight walk rusher, though Bonitto has turned into 1 implicit the people of the season.

The strategy that Vance Joseph has installed is wherefore the squad has been successful, and his handling of those players during situational shot mightiness beryllium the biggest crushed this squad has returned to the playoffs.

Looking astatine immoderate precocious defence metrics, Joseph likes to blitz. Only six teams successful the league blitzed the quarterback much often than the Broncos but erstwhile you look much intimately into that number, lone the Dallas Cowboys were capable to get much unit per dropback this season.

The Broncos were capable to get unit connected 27.7 percent of the opposition's dropbacks they faced this season. That is 1 successful each 4 plays. This volition beryllium the cardinal to this game.

They can't blindly travel astatine Allen, he's excessively bully for that. But knowing however and erstwhile to travel astatine him volition find if the Broncos tin propulsion this upset off. Looking astatine the stats provided here, Allen was blitzed 136 times this play and connected those, helium threw what was considered to beryllium a mediocre walk 86 times.

One oregon 2 mediocre passes successful this crippled could tilt things successful Denver's favor.