The Broncos’ comeback against the Rams drew the headlines, and for good reason. Denver erased a 16-0 halftime hole and walked out of Sunday night with a 30-26 win, powered by Talanoa Hufanga’s historic night, more late-game magic from Bo Nix and the offense, and a loud home crowd that kept pushing the whole thing forward.
But the player who kept turning the screws in the middle of it all was Zach Allen.
That’s been the story with Allen for a while now: the production is there, the impact is obvious, and still he tends to sit outside the loudest national conversations. Pat Surtain II already has a Defensive Player of the Year award.
Nik Bonitto gets plenty of attention as one of the league’s top edge rushers. Allen, meanwhile, keeps doing work as one of the best interior defensive linemen in football without nearly enough noise around him.
Against the Rams, he was everywhere.
Allen finished with seven total pressures, three quarterback hits and a sack, but the raw numbers don’t quite capture how much he changed the game after a slow start. Once he settled in, he helped lead a second-half pressure wave that kept Matthew Stafford uncomfortable and under siege.
What makes Allen so effective is that he doesn’t win with flash. He’s not living on spins, counters or overwhelming power.
His game is built on sharp hands, clean technique and the ability to close space in a hurry. That showed up in the second quarter, when he started using his hands to keep blockers off balance and began cracking open lanes for the Broncos’ pressure packages.
One key snap came when he controlled Kevin Dotson’s hands and swiped them away to open the rushing lane. That was the beginning of a stretch that lasted more than 25 minutes of game time, and it set the tone for what came next.
Denver’s pass rush had been mostly quiet for much of the first half, even with Vance Joseph dialing up multiple blitz looks at Stafford. Then Allen started getting home, and the entire feel of the game shifted.
On a delayed blitz, Allen occupied Steve Avila long enough to open a lane for Alex Singleton, while Bonitto burst off the snap and drove Alaric Jackson across the pocket, leaving Stafford exposed to a big hit. From there, the Broncos kept layering pressure, and Allen kept being the piece that made it all work.
After halftime, he really took over.
Denver needed its defense to get quick stops because the offense couldn’t find much rhythm, and Allen answered. On the Rams’ first possession of the third quarter, he and Bonitto shut down a 3rd-and-7 and forced the Rams’ only three-and-out of the game.
That snap showed the full package: Allen punching through Avila with hand strength and technique, then beating him around the arc once Bonitto collapsed the inside. Stafford had nowhere to go. The play should have drawn a holding flag on Avila, but the Broncos didn’t need it.
From there, Joseph kept mixing in blitzes and twists, and Allen kept making the whole operation hum. On one stunt with Malcolm Roach as the lead, Avila recognized the action, but Allen’s hand usage was still too much to handle. It ended up as a late pressure, but every hit on the quarterback mattered.
Then came the sequence that really stamped Allen’s night.
At the end of the third quarter, he rattled off three straight pressures in three different ways to help force a punt. First, he worked through Warren McClendon with his hands and turned it into a nine-yard sack.
Next, he came flying through another twist with Roach, nearly drawing another holding call on Avila and blowing up the pocket. Finally, he showed off his motor in a one-on-one against Avila, spinning away at the last second to land yet another hit on Stafford.
Allen has been one of the league’s best interior pass rushers for a couple of years, and he still doesn’t get enough credit outside Broncos Country. Coming into the season, he had the most quarterback hits of any defender in the NFL over the last two seasons.
And through three games of 2026, he’s been even hotter. According to Pro Football Focus, Allen leads all interior defensive linemen with 15 pressures and ranks second in sacks with four and hits with five.
If he keeps producing at this pace, he’ll force his way into a much bigger conversation. Maybe even the Defensive Player of the Year race.
In Other News...
Broncos Could Get A Dangerous Weapon Back Just In Time
Marvin Mims Jr. was back on the practice field in full Wednesday, a welcome sign for a Broncos offense that has been waiting to get one of its more explosive pieces back in the mix. The second-year wide receiver missed the last two games because of a foot injury, and his return to full participation suggests Denver may be getting close to restoring a dangerous vertical threat just in time for a matchup with the 49ers.
The Broncos will still have to wait for the rest of the week before anything is official, but Mims availability is suddenly a storyline worth watching. If he can keep trending in the right direction, Denver could have a timely boost in a game where every bit of speed and spacing matters. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Get Early Injury Relief Before A Huge 49ers Test
The Broncos got a little encouraging injury news early in the week as they began preparing for a tough test against the 49ers. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was back on the practice field after previously being seen in a walking boot, and Marvin Mims Jr. also logged a full session after being limited and then inactive for a game. Running back J.K. Dobbins was another welcome sight, practicing in full despite the hip issue that had been hanging over him.
There were still a few spots to monitor, though. Edge rusher Dondrea Tillman sat out with a hamstring issue, even if he was around the team, and defensive lineman Zach Allen was limited as the Broncos managed his workload for rest. With San Francisco looming, Denvers early-week health picture is trending in the right direction, but the availability of a few key pieces will still matter as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Defense Is Flipping A Costly Trend From Last Season
Through three games in the Sean Payton era, the Broncos have found something that was hard to come by at times last season: takeaways. Denvers defense has already forced four interceptions, the most in the league so far, and has produced at least one turnover in every game, giving the unit a steadier edge than it showed a year ago.
The payoff has shown up in the numbers, too, with opposing quarterbacks managing only a 74.3 passer rating against Denver. For a team that spent much of last season chasing consistency on defense, the early return is encouraging, even if the real test will be whether this turnover streak can hold once the schedule starts to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]