DENVER (AP) — After All-Pro punt returner Marvin Mims Jr.'s fourth-quarter muff, the Tennessee Titans were sitting pretty at the Denver 24, already in range for a field goal that would give them a late lead.
Back-to-back sacks by Jonah Elliss and Zach Allen pushed the Titans back to midfield and forced another punt, however, and four plays later, J.K. Dobbins' touchdown provided the finishing touches on the Broncos' 20-12 victory on Sunday.
“Yeah, I think pressure makes diamonds,” cornerback Patrick Surtain II said. “We live up to that. That’s our standard, no matter what goes on or if the pressure is on us, we love that. If we are backed up, if there’s a situation that we need, it always seems like we come through and make a play. We talk about that and we work on it every day in certain situations. It’s us getting aligned and everyone doing their 1/11th.”
The defensive stand was reminiscent of one in Cleveland a decade ago that helped propel the Broncos to a Super Bowl parade.
In that game, an interception gave the Browns the ball at the Denver 39 in overtime, but a tackle for loss and back-to-back sacks bailed out Peyton Manning, who capitalized on the mulligan his defense provided and led his team to victory.
This version of Denver's defense looks like the best since that 2015 unit, which carried a sputtering offense to the franchise's third Super Bowl triumph.
Even without two starters — inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quad) and tackle Malcolm Roach (calf) — Denver's defense piled up a half-dozen sacks and limited the Titans to 133 yards of offense. Tennessee was just 2 for 14 on third down.
“We got playmakers all around on the defense,” linebacker Nik Bonitto said.
Exhibit No. 1: The Broncos' sacks came from six players, and rookie Jahdae Barron recovered Ward's fumble on the Titans' final offensive snap.
“That’s what we expect of ourselves,” defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers said.
Quarterback Bo Nix, who had an uncharacteristic three turnovers, heaped praise on his defense, which kept the Titans out of the end zone all day.
“It’s the best feeling when you have a great defense. Just over and over, they kind of got us out of a jam and continued to do that throughout the game,” Nix said. “The one that really sticks out is they get the ball down one, and we get two sacks and get them out of field-goal range. That’ll change the game in a hurry, and it changes the environment, gets guys back into the game. It was just awesome to see different players making big plays.”
What’s working
Denver's ground game, albeit a bit late in in the day. Rookie R.J. Harvey reeled off a 50-yard scamper that set up Dobbins' 19-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter as the Broncos finally found balance after halftime.
What needs help
Nix. Coach Sean Payton was so busy sending in players on every play that the Broncos looked like a hockey team making line changes. There was no cohesion on offense in the first half and the primary culprit may have been too many moving parts.
Stock up
Denver's defense (see above).
Stock down
Special teams. Not only did Mims, a two-time All-Pro punt returner, muff a punt, but the coverage units allowed a 71-yard kickoff return in the waning seconds of the first half that led to a Tennessee field goal.
Injuries
TE Evan Engram's calf injury could sideline the key free agent addition for several weeks.
Key numbers
133 — yards of offense the Broncos yielded to the Titans.
131 —- penalty yards by the Titans on 13 accepted infractions.
Next steps
The Broncos play at Indianapolis (1-0) on Sunday.
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