VonDoom
11-04-2016, 09:24 PM
From Five Thirty Eight, a good look at what we've done so far. Get hype!
Let’s begin with a refresher on just how good last year’s pass defense truly was. On average, NFL teams in 2015 gained 6.4 net yards per pass attempt (net yards includes yards lost to sacks), meaning the Broncos defense was 1.3 net yards per attempt better than average. That was the 20th-best mark of any team from 1970 to 2015, and Denver was the seventh team in that group to win a Super Bowl
The other pass defenses on the top 20 list above were, on average, 1.53 net yards per attempt better than average against the pass in their dominant season; however, in their first eight games of the following season, they were just 0.52 NY/A better than average. That’s a sign of how difficult is it for dominant defenses to sustain that level of excellence over a long period. Defensive backs and pass rushers are two of football’s most health-dependent roles, and even one player losing a step or leaving in free agency can sink a unit. But so far this season, the Broncos have been even better that last season, jumping from 1.30 NY/A better than league average to 1.73.
Last year, Denver’s pass defense allowed 60 percent of passes to be completed, which ranked eighth in the league; this season, Denver has allowed opposing passers to complete just 53.5 percent of all passes, easily the best rate in the league through eight weeks. And on passes to wide receivers, Denver’s at 49.6 percent, the only defense in the league holding opposing wideouts to a rate under 50 percent
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-broncos-pass-defense-is-somehow-even-better-this-season/
Let’s begin with a refresher on just how good last year’s pass defense truly was. On average, NFL teams in 2015 gained 6.4 net yards per pass attempt (net yards includes yards lost to sacks), meaning the Broncos defense was 1.3 net yards per attempt better than average. That was the 20th-best mark of any team from 1970 to 2015, and Denver was the seventh team in that group to win a Super Bowl
The other pass defenses on the top 20 list above were, on average, 1.53 net yards per attempt better than average against the pass in their dominant season; however, in their first eight games of the following season, they were just 0.52 NY/A better than average. That’s a sign of how difficult is it for dominant defenses to sustain that level of excellence over a long period. Defensive backs and pass rushers are two of football’s most health-dependent roles, and even one player losing a step or leaving in free agency can sink a unit. But so far this season, the Broncos have been even better that last season, jumping from 1.30 NY/A better than league average to 1.73.
Last year, Denver’s pass defense allowed 60 percent of passes to be completed, which ranked eighth in the league; this season, Denver has allowed opposing passers to complete just 53.5 percent of all passes, easily the best rate in the league through eight weeks. And on passes to wide receivers, Denver’s at 49.6 percent, the only defense in the league holding opposing wideouts to a rate under 50 percent
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-broncos-pass-defense-is-somehow-even-better-this-season/