Opposing quarterbacks rarely leave games against the Broncos with clean jerseys.
If Denver is going to beat Buffalo on Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High and make a run toward the Super Bowl in the coming weeks, Vance Joseph’s defense is going to have to do a lot right.
The Broncos will have to continue to be excellent on third down and in the red zone. They’ll need to avoid the field-flipping pass-interference penalties that have cropped up from time to time. They could stand to take the ball away more frequently.
More than perhaps anything else, though, they’ll have to build on their historic season of sacking the quarterback.
Joseph’s group racked up a franchise-record 68 in 2025, besting last year’s mark by five.
They did it in just about every way imaginable. A whopping 17 players recorded at least half a sack, including 10 with three or more.
They racked up 36 sacks on third and fourth downs alone, more than 11 teams managed as their season total. They logged 22 in the fourth quarter.
They did it on seven-man pressure and three-man rushes. Effective cage rushes and dynamic one-on-one wins. Meet-me-at-the-quarterback races and long, determined pursuits.
They essentially ended a pair of potentially game-winning or game-tying drives with sacks in Week 1 vs. Tennessee and Week 6 against the New York Jets and put multiple more on ice in the waning minutes.
To first-team All-Pro defensive tackle Zach Allen, there are four particularly impressive buckets of sacks.
1) When multiple guys hit the quarterback together
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3) When defending the red zone
4) When the game is on the line
“Those are the ones that, the next day, you’re like, ‘(expletive) yeah,’” Allen said.
The Broncos had multiple of each this year.
Below is every sack recorded and insight on ones Denver defenders took particular joy in.
No. 1 — OLB Nik Bonitto
Opponent: Tennessee
QB: Cam Ward
Situation: Red zone, third-and-3, first quarter from Denver’s 3-yard line to force a field goal
No. 2 — OLB Jonathon Cooper
Opponent: Tennessee
QB: Ward
Situation: Third-and-10, second quarter back to Tennessee’s 1-yard line
On a straight four-man rush, Cooper blew off the line of scrimmage so fast that Titans right tackle JC Latham was immediately beaten. He barely laid a hand on Cooper, who bent inside and crushed Ward along the goal line. Cooper didn’t get credit for a safety, but he helped set the tone for the season.
Rookie OLB Que Robinson: “Yeah, that was a pretty good one for me. That’s when I realized, (dang), I’m in the NFL. … The first thing you notice is the physicality and effort. Then from that point on, it kind of set the standard for what the year was going to be. Watching from the Tennessee game on to now, dog, like, that’s our standard. Physicality, playing smart, playing aggressive. Watching it from the sideline, you’re like, (dang), this is what I’ve got to keep up with and just try to imitate this season if I get the chance. And I did, but I didn’t know I would at the time.”
Justin Strnad (40) of the Denver Broncos pressures Cam Ward (1) of the Tennessee Titans during the third quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)No. 3 — ILB Justin Strnad
Opponent: Tennessee
QB: Ward
Situation: First-and-10, third quarter
No. 4 — OLB Jonah Elliss
Opponent: Tennessee
QB: Ward
Situation: Second-and-8, fourth quarter
No. 5 — DT Zach Allen
Opponent: Tennessee
QB: Ward
Situation: Third-and-24, fourth quarter
The Broncos clung to a 13-12 lead early in the fourth quarter when Marvin Mims Jr. muffed a punt and set the Titans up at the Denver 24-yard line. After a 2-yard run, Elliss started a game-altering sequence by sacking Ward for a 16-yard loss. Then Allen sacked Ward again on third down. The combined effort not only kept Tennessee out of the end zone but pushed the visitors out of field goal range altogether and forced a punt. Denver went 80 yards in four plays on the ensuing possession to take a 20-12 lead.
Allen: “We pride ourselves a lot on red zone. Houston, same thing. Those were big ones.”
No. 6 — CB Ja’Quan McMillian
Opponent: Tennessee
QB: Ward
Situation: Close-out sack on fourth-and-10 with :47 left, leading 20-12.
No. 7 — Strnad
Opponent: Indianapolis
QB: Daniel Jones
Situation: Red zone, second-and-11, second quarter
DJ. Jones (93) of the Denver Broncos sacks Justin Herbert (10) of the Los Angeles Chargers during the first quarter at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)No. 8 — DT D.J. Jones
Opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
QB: Justin Herbert
Situation: Third-and-3, first quarter
No. 9 — Bonitto
Opponent: L.A. Chargers
QB: Herbert
Situation: First-and-10, first quarter
No. 10 — Cooper
Opponent: L.A. Chargers
QB: Herbert
Situation: Third-and-1, first quarter
No. 11 — Bonitto
Opponent: L.A. Chargers
QB: Herbert
Situation: First down, third quarter
No. 12 — DL John Franklin-Myers
Opponent: L.A. Chargers
QB: Herbert
Situation: Third-and-3, fourth quarter
Nik Bonitto (15) of the Denver Broncos sacks Jake Browning (6) of the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)No. 13 — Bonitto and Cooper
Opponent: Cincinnati
QB: Jake Browning
Situation: Third-and-3, second quarter
No. 14 — Bonitto
Opponent: Cincinnati
QB: Browning
Situation: First-and-20, third quarter
No. 15 — Franklin-Myers
Opponent: Cincinnati
QB: Browning
Situation: Second-and-10, fourth quarter
No. 16 — ILB Alex Singleton
Opponent: Philadelphia
QB: Jalen Hurts
Situation: Red zone, second-and-7, first quarter
No. 17 — DL Eyioma Uwazurike
Opponent: Philadelphia
QB: Hurts
Situation: Second-and-10, second quarter
No. 18 — Allen and Bonitto
Opponent: Philadelphia
QB: Hurts
Situation: Third-and-13, second quarter
Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) tackles Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)No. 19 — Bonitto
Opponent: Philadelphia
QB: Hurts
Situation: Third-and-15, third quarter
No. 20 — McMillian
Opponent: Philadelphia
QB: Hurts
Situation: Third-and-13, fourth quarter
McMillian’s four sacks might include the most bang for the buck of anybody on the roster. The nickel snuffed Tennessee’s final drive Week 1, sacked Hurts on a fourth-quarter third down that set up Denver’s comeback win and then got Patrick Mahomes twice in Week 11 — once to end the first half, then to end the Chiefs’ final possession. More on that one below.
Safety JL Skinner: “Yeah, we’re used to it now. I came in seeing J-Mac make plays, so it don’t surprise me no more. If I came in from his rookie year from, I’d probably be like, ‘dang, that boy got good.’ But when I came in, he was already elite to me. The plays he makes, it’s only a matter of time until he makes one.”
No. 21 — Bonitto
Opponent: Philadelphia
QB: Hurts
Situation: First-and-10, 1:06 remaining and leading 17-14
No. 22 — Franklin-Myers
Opponent: New York Jets
Sack: Franklin-Myers
QB: Justin Fields
Situation: Second-and-13, first quarter
No. 23 — Uwazurike
Opponent: N.Y. Jets
QB: Fields
Situation: First-and-10, second quarter
No. 24 — Cooper
Opponent: N.Y. Jets
QB: Fields
Situation: Third-and-9, second quarter
No. 25 — Bonitto and Allen
Opponent: N.Y. Jets
QB: Fields
Situation: Second-and-5 with :44 left in the first half
A rare four-man rush in which all four men for the Broncos touched Fields. Franklin-Myers got a paw on Fields up the middle, forcing him left and into the waiting arms of Bonitto. Allen and Cooper piled on for good measure.
Allen: “Nik, Coop and myself all kind of at the same time smoked him. … That game was cool because everyone was hitting them together. Everybody was involved.”
No. 26 — S Talanoa Hufanga
Opponent: N.Y. Jets
QB: Fields
Situation: Third-and-5, third quarter
Jonathon Cooper (0) of the Denver Broncos sacks Justin Fields (7) of the New York Jets as Justin Strnad (40) closes in during the third quarter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)No. 27 — Cooper and Strnad
Opponent: N.Y. Jets
QB: Fields
Situation: Third-and-6, third quarter
No. 28 — Bonitto and Allen
Opponent: N.Y. Jets
QB: Fields
Situation: Third-and-10, fourth quarter (4:19 to go)
No. 29 — Strnad
Opponent: N.Y. Jets
QB: Fields
Situation: First-and-10, fourth quarter (1:56 to go)
No. 30 — S Brandon Jones and Cooper
Opponent: N.Y. Jets
QB: Fields
Situation: Close-out sack on fourth-and-8 with 1:14 to go, leading 11-10
The final of three fourth-quarter sacks and a whopping nine overall in London sealed the game for the Broncos. Denver’s offense did almost nothing, but the defense made sure 10 points held up. The closer: An all-out, seven-man pressure. Cooper ripped past tight end Mason Taylor before he could get his head turned. Fields momentarily slipped out, but Cooper jumped on his back and Jones, blitzing from the same side, hit Fields in the front.
A popular choice as a favorite.
Allen: “That was pretty sick.
Safety JL Skinner: “Yeah, bro, there’s not much more you can do besides maybe get a pick-six to end a game. But that walk-off sack, that’s up there for sure.”
Hufanga: “Game on the line. If they got the first down, it was first down and it was game over. They were going to kick the field goal and win. So for us to, excuse my language, nut up and get the job done, that was pretty cool.”
No. 31 — Cooper
Opponent: New York Giants
QB: Jaxson Dart
Situation: Red zone, first-and-10, second quarter
No. 32 — OLB Que Robinson and DL Malcolm Roach
Opponent: N.Y. Giants
QB: Dart
Situation: First-and-10, third quarter
No. 33 — OLB Dondrea Tillman
Opponent: N.Y. Giants
QB: Dart
Situation: Second-and-10, third quarter
Denver Broncos Zach Allen (99) sacks New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart in the 4th quarter of the game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. Broncos won 33-32. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)No. 34 — Allen and Cooper
Opponent: N.Y. Giants
QB: Dart
Situation: First-and-10, fourth quarter (1:51 to go)
No. 35 — Franklin-Myers
Opponent: Dallas
QB: Dak Prescott
Situation: First-and-10, first quarter
No. 36 — Allen
Opponent: Dallas
QB: Prescott
Situation: First-and-10, fourth quarter
On a four-man rush, Prescott felt pressure from Bonitto working around the offense’s left edge. As he stepped up, a week-long plan came to fruition for Allen, working against a fellow All-Pro. Allen lined up on the outside shoulder of left guard Tyler Smith and gave him a couple of quick head-and-shoulders fakes. Broncos pass-rush guru B.T. Jordan likes to call it “basketball on grass.” In a rare happening, Smith got off balance and had to lunge at Allen, who stormed through a grab and wrapped up Prescott.
Allen: “When you have a tough matchup and you get one, that’s pretty cool. So for me, when we played the Cowboys. Tyler Smith, obviously, everybody knows how good he is. So to get one on him, that one was pretty cool. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. To be able to, all week, work a plan and for it to work, that’s a cool one.”
No. 37 — ILB Dre Greenlaw
Opponent: Houston
QB: C.J. Stroud
Situation: First-and-10, first quarter
No. 38 — Allen
Opponent: Houston
QB: Stroud
Situation: Third-and-5, first quarter.
From the 23-yard line, a classic Broncos rush. Stroud dropped back and surveyed, but found good coverage down the field. Then the pocket got crushed from all angles and when he tried to step up, it was right into Allen’s waiting arms. A chip-shot field goal turned into a 51-yarder that Ka’imi Fairbairn missed. The final margin of victory for the Broncos against a playoff-bound Texans team: Three points.
Jonathon Cooper (0) of the Denver Broncos celebrates sacking Davis Mills (10) of the Houston Texans with Zach Allen (99) of the Denver Broncosduring the second quarter at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)No. 39 — Cooper
Opponent: Houston
QB: Davis Mills
Situation: Red zone, third-and-11, second quarter,
No. 40 — Roach and Tillman
Opponent: Houston
QB: Mills
Situation: Red zone, first-and-10 with :23 left in the second quarter
No. 41 — Uwazurike and Allen
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Geno Smith
Situation: Third-and-3, first quarter
No. 42 — Bonitto
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Smith
Situation: Third-and-12, second quarter
No. 43 — Hufanga
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Smith
Situation: Fourth-and-5, second quarter
No. 44 — Roach
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Smith
Situation: First-and-10, second quarter
Zach Allen (99) and Nik Bonitto (15) of the Denver Broncos sack Geno Smith (7) of the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)No. 45 — Allen and Bonitto
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Smith
Situation: Third-and-6, second quarter
No. 46 — Franklin-Myers and Cooper
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Smith
Situation: Third-and-8, fourth quarter
No. 47 — D.J. Jones
Opponent: Kansas City
QB: Patrick Mahomes
Situation: Third-and-1, second quarter
Robinson, the rookie outside linebacker, got credit for his half-sack in Week 7 against the Giants, but he was in on this one, too. He came off Mahomes’ right side unblocked on a third-and-short, got his hands up and forced Mahomes to double and then triple-clutch. Before he could decide what to do, Jones swallowed him up thanks to interior pressure.
Robinson: “They gave it to D.J., but I don’t care. To me, that’s probably the coolest one because it’s Patrick Mahomes and, shoot, I affected the play somehow. It’s pretty dope, dog. You’ve got to think about it. He’s been a freakin’ stud in this league for so long and he’s been dominating the AFC for a good bit. So, like, just to be able to make a play on somebody who’s been pretty good for a long and consistent time, that means a lot to me. If you love football, you know who he is.”
Ja'Quan McMillian (29) of the Denver Broncos, bottom, sacks Patrick Mahomes (15) of the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on Nov. 16, 2025. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)No. 48 — McMillian
Opponent: Kansas City
QB: Mahomes
Situation: Fourth-and-6, second quarter
A Joseph special, bringing nickel pressure on a Hail Mary attempt before halftime.
No. 49 — McMillian
Opponent: Kansas City
QB: Mahomes
Situation: Third-and-10, fourth quarter
With 3:53 to play and the game tied at 19, Mahomes surveyed the defense and saw McMillian manned up on tight end Travis Kelce in the slot to his left. McMillian held his disguise as long as he could and timed Mahomes’ snap-count based on when the future Hall of Fame quarterback started to raise his hands. He came free, leapt to make sure Mahomes couldn’t get a quick throw to a hot route off, grabbed the quarterback as he landed and dragged him to the ground. The Chiefs punted and they didn’t get the ball back. Bo Nix led a game-winning drive that ended in a walk-off, 35-yard Wil Lutz field goal. The win put the Broncos in firm control of the division and represented a changing of the AFC West guard.
As if there’d be any doubt about McMillian’s favorite in his own right, he didn’t hesitate. This is the one. “Where I flew in the air like Superman,” McMillian said. A reporter posited that it might even be poster-worthy. McMillian laughed, reached into the empty locker next to him, and pulled out a large canvas print of himself, airborne, grabbing onto Mahomes.
Skinner: “That one was nice.”
DL Jordan Jackson: “I might take J-Mac’s now that I’m thinking about it. To seal a game like that? And it being J-Mac, another guy who works the way he works?”
CB Riley Moss: “He’s got four of them, right? Yeah, that’s a good pull right there.”
Linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) of the Denver Broncos sacks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) of the Washington Commanders before Mariota fumbled the ball on an attempted lateral pass on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, at Northwest Stadium in Landover, MD. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)No. 50 — Bonitto
Opponent: Washington
QB: Marcus Mariota
Situation: First-and-10 strip sack, second quarter
No. 51 — Tillman
Opponent: Washington
QB: Mariota
Situation: Second-and-9, fourth quarter
No. 52 — Roach
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Smith
Situation: Second-and-5, second quarter
No. 53 — Franklin-Myers
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Smith
Situation: Third-and-8, second quarter
Nik Bonitto (15) of the Denver Broncos sacks Geno Smith (7) of the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)No. 54 — Bonitto
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Smith
Situation: Fourth-and-3, second quarter
No. 55 — Bonitto
Opponent: Las Vegas
QB: Kenny Pickett
Situation: First-and-10, fourth quarter
No. 56 — Elliss
Opponent: Green Bay
QB: Jordan Love
Situation: Third-and-10, third quarter
No. 57 — Tillman
Opponent: Green Bay
QB: Love
Situation: Second-and-7, fourth quarter
Defensive end Zach Allen (99) of the Denver Broncos celebrates a sack of quarterback Jordan Love (10) of the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)No. 58 — Cooper and Allen
Opponent: Green Bay
QB: Love
Situation: Fourth-and-9, fourth quarter (2:33 remaining)
If sacks could be divided into thirds, this would be a worthy choice. Love hit the top of his drop-back on a fourth down, 44 yards from scoring what could have been a tying touchdown. Cooper won around the right edge. Allen stormed up the middle. Bonitto was in the pile-up as well. The Broncos didn’t sack Love on his first 31 dropbacks, but got him three times down the stretch and pressured him at the highest single-game rate of the quarterback’s career so far.
This one checked almost every box for Allen. Critical situation. He bulled right through a $19 million a year player in guard Aaron Banks. And he was joined by a pair of teammates at the quarterback.
Allen: “Same thing there. We kind of sealed it at the end.”
Riley Moss (21) of the Denver Broncos tackles Trevor Lawrence (16) of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)No. 59 — CB Riley Moss
Opponent: Jacksonville
QB: Trevor Lawrence
Situation: Third-and-4, first quarter
No. 60 — Franklin-Myers
Opponent: Jacksonville
QB: Lawrence
Situation: Third-and-8, first quarter
No. 61 — Roach
Opponent: Jacksonville
QB: Lawrence
Situation: Third-and-15, second quarter
Early in the second quarter, Denver and Jacksonville were tied at 7. Roach lined up well outside right guard Patrick Mekari. He powered off the line of scrimmage and put forth a vicious hump move. Roach, known earlier in his career as almost exclusively a run defender, rolled right past Mekari and sacked Lawrence.
Jackson: “He killed the dude. Inside move. Oh my gosh, I’ve never heard that stadium get that loud before. That was actually the loudest game.
Jackson and Roach played together in New Orleans previously and Jackson said it’s “amazing to see” Roach’s progress as a pass rusher. He also said Roach is liable to commandeer the clicker in the film room the next day after such a play.
Jackson: “In the game, he’s going to make sure you see it then, and then we get back into the film room and he’s going to make sure — ‘Hey, run that back one more time. Run that back one more time.’”
Allen: “He’s been working that hump move. … Everybody knows the energy he brings, but it’s a focused energy. It’s not just, like, ‘ahhhhh’ or some craziness. He’s been awesome for us. He’s come in in some huge pass-rush situations and the standard hasn’t dropped, obviously.”
No. 62 — Franklin-Myers
Opponent: Jacksonville
QB: Lawrence
Situation: Third-and-10, fourth quarter
No. 63 — D.J. Jones
Opponent: Jacksonville
Sack: Jones
QB: Lawrence
Situation: Second-and-6, fourth quarter
No. 64 — Tillman and Elliss
Opponent: Kansas City
QB: Chris Oladokun
Situation: First-and-10, third quarter
No. 65 — Allen and Bonitto
Opponent: L.A. Chargers
QB: Trey Lance
Situation: First-and-10, second quarter
No. 66 — Strnad
Opponent: L.A. Chargers
QB: Lance
Situation: Third-and-8, third quarter
Nik Bonitto (15) of the Denver Broncos strip sacks Trey Lance (5) of the Los Angeles Chargers during the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 19-3 win at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)No. 67 — Bonitto
Opponent: L.A. Chargers
QB: Lance
Situation: Strip sack, first-and-10, fourth quarter, recovered by DL Sai’Vion Jones
A timely sack if ever there was one, not so much because of the game situation but because Payton spent all week harping on takeaways. The Broncos’ defense, prolific in sacking and harassing quarterbacks, had not forced many turnovers. The defense hadn’t forced a fumble since Week 1 until Bonitto roared around the left end, squared up Lance and knocked the ball out.
Elliss: “Nik punching the ball out, that’s what we had been lacking. We’d been getting the sacks, but we hadn’t been getting the ball out. That was kind of like a statement. When we get home, we’re going to finish the play and get the ball. I think that was my favorite one. … V.J.’s been preaching it to us. ‘This is what we’re missing.’ He’s just been preaching that and I think we’ve started to take his coaching and apply it to the field.
DL coach Jamar Cain: “It was so refreshing. You hear 68 sacks and we should have got the ball out more. … Our best players have to do the little things all the time for us to be successful. Nik is one of our better players on the front, so he’s got to do the little things like get the ball out. That could have been a blow-up sack, but instead he was like, ‘(forget) that, I’m going for the ball.'”
No. 68 — Uwazurike
Opponent: L.A. Chargers
QB: Lance
Situation: First-and-10, fourth quarter
One final cage rush to cap off a historic regular season. Lance dropped back and was quickly swallowed up. Bonitto walked the left tackle into his lap. Cooper set the edge against the right tackle. Sai’Vion Jones looped around Uwazurike, who walked center Andre James back and then discarded him to wrap up Lantz. From the first quarter of Week 1 to the fourth quarter of Week 18, the Broncos made life difficult on opposing quarterbacks and did it with players up and down the defensive depth chart. Now, the task is to keep riding the wave in the postseason.
Allen: “Eni can do it, D.J. can do it. When you have all five guys who have some wiggle, it stresses out the offensive line so much because it’s just coming in waves.
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