Fangio has found the right mix on Denver's defense

Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Walker hauls down Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill during the second half of Sunday's game in Denver.
Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Walker hauls down Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill during the second half of Sunday's game in Denver.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - Vic Fangio has settled on the right mix to restore Denver's defensive dominance even without pass rusher Bradley Chubb and cornerback Bryce Callahan.

The Broncos (2-4) collected seven sacks and three takeaways for the first time since 1984 in their 16-0 win Sunday against Tennessee, putting them in prime position to get back into the AFC West race Thursday night when they host the Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) and their ailing quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

That seemed far-fetched two weeks ago when the Chiefs were rolling and the Broncos were reeling. The franchises' fortunes have flipped with Kansas City losing twice at home and Denver ending four-game skids at home and on the road.

Plugging in players at all three levels is what helped Fangio get his first wins.

Up front, he put Mike Purcell at nose tackle and moved Shelby Harris to defensive end. He inserted inside linebacker Alexander Johnson into the lineup and he's collected 19 tackles, 1 sacks, two QB hits and a forced fumble in his first two NFL starts.

The Broncos' biggest bugaboo has been their secondary because Callahan, who signed a three-year, $21-million deal in free agency to follow Fangio to Denver, reinjured his surgically repaired foot in July and hasn't played since.

Fortunately for Fangio, tone-setter Kareem Jackson is back from a sore hamstring and giving CB Davontae Harris his first NFL start Sunday was a success. Along with Chris Harris Jr. and Justin Simmons, Jackson played all 70 snaps.

The Broncos claimed him off waivers Sept. 1 from Cincinnati.

"What's that saying? One man's trash is another man's treasure. You know, he didn't make Cincinnati's squad, so we're glad to have him," Fangio said.

It was the secondary's sound play Fangio credited with allowing Von Miller, DeMarcus Walker, Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris and Johnson to get in on the sack party Sunday.

Accordingly, it was the pass pressure that helped produce the trio of takeaways.

"We're very excited in where we're at," Walker said. "We fought adversity in the beginning of the year and it's not like our first few losses were blowouts. We had a chance in every single loss. We knew that we were capable and we just had to keep working."

Since scoring TDs on their first two possessions at Los Angeles, the Broncos have reached the end zone just once in their last 22 drives, subtracting kneel-downs. Teams are doubling WR Courtland Sutton in the red zone and nobody's picked up the slack.

The RB tandem of Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman has been potent. Lindsay ran for 70 yards and the game's only TD and Freeman led the team with five catches for 42 yards to go with 34 yards rushing. Lindsay (544) and Freeman (429) are the only pair of running back teammates with at least 400 yards in 2019.

"Shutouts are hard to come by in this league," Fangio said. "We need somebody to do an analytics study about how often they do come." OK, there's about seven in a season of 256 games, or 2.7 percent of the time. Intriguingly, Fangio worked 32 seasons as an NFL assistant and his teams posted 14 shutouts in 512 games, exactly the league average.

The Broncos need to keep their ground game rolling Thursday night, not only to keep Mahomes & Co. off the field but to capitalize on Kansas City's biggest weakness. During their last four games, the Chiefs have allowed an average of 190 yards a game and 4.97 yards a carry. They've also allowed eight rushing TDs in those games.