Broncos’ Red Zone Defense Is Doing the Dirty Work - And It's Winning Them Games
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Jordan Love came out firing. The Packers’ quarterback opened Sunday’s game against Denver by completing his first seven passes, spreading the ball to six different targets and driving Green Bay from its own 3-yard line all the way to the Broncos’ 8.
It looked like the Packers were in full control. But then they hit the wall - and that wall was Denver’s red zone defense.
First down: Love scrambled, but the Broncos closed quickly. Second down: Christian Watson caught a short pass, but there was no room to run.
Third down: Rookie cornerback Riley Moss got his hand in just in time to knock away what could’ve been a touchdown to Romeo Doubs. Green Bay settled for a field goal.
That three-play sequence might’ve looked like a small win at the time, but it was a snapshot of what’s become the Broncos’ calling card during their stunning 11-game win streak: shutting the door when it matters most.
“It’s just a mindset,” said edge rusher Nik Bonitto. “VJ (defensive coordinator Vance Joseph) tells us, ‘No matter where the ball’s spotted, no matter how they get there, they just can’t get in.’ I feel like everybody has bought into that mindset of, ‘They have to earn it to get in.’”
And earn it, they must. The Broncos have quietly turned into the NFL’s most suffocating red zone defense.
Opponents are scoring touchdowns on just 38.5% of their trips inside the 20 - a full seven percentage points better than the next-best team, the Rams. That gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is wider than the gap between No. 2 and No.
- It’s not just good - it’s dominant.
Against Green Bay, it was even more impressive. The Packers came into the game with the league’s second-best red zone offense, converting touchdowns at a 68.1% clip. Denver held them to one touchdown on four trips inside the 20.
And it wasn’t just in the red zone. On Green Bay’s opening drive, they reached the Denver 33 before safety Talanoa Hufanga knifed into the backfield and blew up a Josh Jacobs run for a two-yard loss.
That play forced a long field goal. Another scoring threat, neutralized.
Here’s the twist: Denver’s defense hasn’t exactly been airtight between the 20s. In fact, over the last four games, they’ve given up 240.3 passing yards per game - 26th in the league during that stretch.
Jordan Love went 8-for-9 for 100 yards on the Packers’ first two drives alone. The Broncos also rank 28th in expected points added per dropback on non-red zone plays over their last four games.
But once teams get close? It’s a different story.
The Broncos are on pace to post the second-best red zone defense since 2018. That’s not a fluke - that’s a trend.
And it’s a big reason why this team is on the verge of clinching the AFC West. A win this weekend, paired with a Chargers loss, would lock it up.
Head coach Sean Payton knows the yards don’t tell the whole story. “Even at halftime, I get the question that I have to answer from the (CBS broadcast) production crew, and it’s all about the yards (allowed),” Payton said. “I’m saying, ‘Are we paying attention to the field goals?’”
Payton’s right to point to the trenches - especially in the red zone. Denver is allowing just 2.2 yards per carry inside the 20, eighth-best in the NFL.
And when quarterbacks drop back, they’re under pressure nearly half the time - 45.7% of red zone dropbacks, second-best in the league. That pressure is forcing quick throws, bad decisions, and stalled drives.
It’s not just the front, either. The secondary is doing its part with a variety of looks that confuse quarterbacks and limit options.
Joseph has leaned into sub-packages, even against heavier offensive personnel, because of the tackling ability of versatile defensive backs like Hufanga, nickel Ja’Quan McMillian, and rookie Jahdae Barron. Barron has been a key chess piece in Joseph’s red zone schemes.
Denver’s also mixing in dime packages - five of them in the red zone this season, according to TruMedia. Opposing quarterbacks have completed just one of four passes against those looks, for a total of six yards and one sack.
“It helps a lot because we can mix in different packages, different looks,” said cornerback Pat Surtain II. “When the offense gives us a certain personnel, it allows us to be open with a lot of guys in the back end who have played some great football for us.”
Now comes another test - and it’s a big one. The Jaguars are rolling.
Since Week 11, they’re averaging 33.8 points per game, tops in the league. They’ve scored touchdowns on 70.8% of their red zone trips during that span, second-best in the NFL.
Last week against the Jets, they went 4-for-6 in the red zone - all four touchdowns coming off the arm of Trevor Lawrence.
“They’re doing a lot of things really well and they’re scoring,” Payton said. He pointed to Jaguars offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who has brought a Sean McVay-influenced scheme to Jacksonville.
“Mondays, I look at the touchdown reel and there are a ton of great schemes. He came up under Sean McVay and there are certain beliefs relative to what you’re going to get in the run and pass games.”
The Broncos handled one of the league’s top red zone offenses last week. This Sunday, they’ll have to do it again - and the stakes are even higher.
Jacksonville can clinch a playoff berth with a win and a little help. Denver can lock up the division.
“When they get down there,” Surtain said, “we have to make it as tough as possible for them.”
They’ve been doing just that - and if this defense keeps holding the line when it counts, the Broncos might just ride their red zone dominance all the way into January.