Broncos defense shuts down losing streak in shutout effort vs. Jets
Dec 11, 2017, 12:00 AM | Updated: 1:31 am
The Denver Broncos defense did something it hadn’t done in more than a decade Sunday against the New York Jets.
No, not win a game, though the club did snap that 70-day, eight-game skid in front of its home crowd.
Instead, the Denver defense pitched a 23-0 shutout against New York — something even the dominating unit of the 2015 Super Bowl-winning team did not achieve.
“I’m very proud of those guys to have a shutout. It’s our first in 12 years here. It speaks to our defense,” head coach Vance Joseph said after the game. “If we can get a lead, we can be the difference in the football game. That was fun to see.”
It was the Broncos first shutout since November 2005, when they also blanked the Jets, 24-0. Additionally, Denver became just the fifth team since 2001 to not allow a point and surrender 100 yards or less (New York had exactly 100 on Sunday).
“This is a special day for the whole team, especially for the defense,” linebacker Brandon Marshall said after the game. “… We were hitting on all cylinders from the first play. We just want to continue this effort and continue this production into next week.”
However, when asked during his postgame press conference to pick which was more impressive to him, getting a shutout or holding a team to less than 100 yards, Von Miller said, “The win.”
“I’ll take it like that. We haven’t won in two months, so we can’t act like that,” Miller said. “It does feel good to go out there and win.”
Miller, in particular, had a day to remember, as he became the first Broncos player to record six seasons double-digit sacks, passing Simon Fletcher (5) and Paul Smith (4).
He also became just the third NFL player since sacks became official in 1982 to have 10 or more sacks in six of his first seven seasons, joining Hall of Fame defensive lineman Reggie White (7) and future Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware (6).
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
