Broncos notes: Ravens’ max protection took away Denver’s vaunted blitz

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Vance Joseph has the sharp mind and thick skin to explain what went awry.

And it did go wrong for the Broncos’ defensive coordinator and his unit last week in Baltimore.

Specifically, Ravens’ sensational quarterback Lamar Jackson sliced up the Denver secondary for 280 yards and three touchdowns off 16 of 19 passing. Those numbers computed to a perfect 158.3 passer rating for Jackson, who led his team to seven consecutive possessions to win going away, 41-10.

This was not the kind of Denver defensive performance Broncos Country had seen from the first eight games, when it ranked No. 3 in the league in yards and points allowed. It also looked different as Joseph didn’t call the number of blitzes like he had been previously.

To Joseph’s credit, he told us why.

“I agree, it was a different kind of game for us,’’ Joseph from the Broncos’ headquarters lobby Thursday. “The run game was our first priority, to get it stopped, and I thought we did that.’’

Indeed, the Ravens only averaged 3.7 yards per rushing attempt, although because Jackson kept moving the chains via the air, they were able to run it 34 times for an ample 127 yards. Derrick Henry, the NFL’s top running back of the past six or seven seasons, gained 106 yards, but it took him 23 carries for 4.6 yards per pop – down from the 6.5 yard average he carried into the game.

“But in the pass game it was more max protection stuff,” Joseph said.

This means two big tight ends, usually Mark Andrews and either Isaiah Likely or Charlie Kolar, staying in to block along with the Ravens’ five big-bodied offensive linemen. Broncos’ defensive lineman Zach Allen had been wreaking havoc on opponents all season, registering 4.0 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for losses and a safety through his first eight games. But Allen didn’t have one tackle against the Ravens as he was double-teamed much of the game.

This max protect strategy usually left the Ravens running two or three man routes in the pass game. Two receivers, or two receivers and a running back. Maybe a tight end would slip out from time to time. But the small receiver packages were enough for Zay Flowers to run crazy in wide open spaces for 127 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

“It was majority two- or three-man routes,’’ Joseph said. “So to pressure (blitz) that protection wouldn’t make sense for us. Now we’re pressuring (blitzing) against max protection and we’re playing man coverage, that doesn’t make sense. So when teams are maxing you up and running two or three-man routes you’re forced to play (matchup zone) coverage. That’s the way you go with that and in some of our coverages it wasn’t exact enough.

“(Jackson) bought some time obviously but they made some plays in coverage which I didn’t expect them to do. But the run game was the priority, that was contained. But the pass game was not.”

We’ll see if coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs go with the same max protect strategy Sunday against the Broncos. Somehow, some way, the Denver D has to get back to its heavy blitz pressure self.

Andy Reid pulled an Elway. You remember the glory years of John Elway’s term as Broncos’ general manager. In 2013, the Broncos were a high-flying offense that ranked No. 1 in scoring while its defense ranked 22nd in points allowed. The average score in Peyton Manning’s record-setting season (55 touchdown passes, 5,477 yards, 606 points, all records that still stand) was 38-25. The Broncos got to the Super Bowl, only to be destroyed by Seattle.

Two years later, Elway reshaped his roster so the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 thanks to a defense that ranked No. 4 in points allowed while the offense was 19th. The average score in the Broncos’ 2015 regular season was 22-19. And you thought the Chiefs were winning a bunch of close games this year?

Now look at what the Chiefs have done. In 2018, Mahomes’ first year as a starting quarterback, the Chiefs ranked No. 1 in scoring and No. 24 in points allowed. The average score was 35-26.

In 2022, when the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl during the Mahomes’ era, the average score was 29-22.

But last year, the Chiefs flipped the script in going back-to-back as Super Bowl champions. They ranked No. 15 in scoring; No. 2 in points allowed. The average score was 22-17.

This year is more of the same – defense being the stronger of the two units. The Chiefs are No. 10 in scoring; No. 4 in defensive scoring. The average score in their 8-0 season is 25-18.

“They’re always a team that thrives on knocking you off-schedule,’’ Broncos’ offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday about the Chiefs’ defense. “There’s a ton of blitzes and they’re always trying to get that negative play to put you behind the chains.

“Their run defense, I’m not sure they’re less aggressive with the blitzes but I don’t think they rely on it as much. They’re just playing more sound on early downs. I don’t know if ‘sound’s’ the right word but they’re more successful on those early downs where before you were like, “All right, we can get those 5, 6 yard gains and we’ve got to avoid the negative play.’

“It’s a lot harder to get those (early 5, 6 yard gains) right now. They’re playing the run real well and they still have enough pressure stuff that it puts a lot of stress on you.”