The Lead
With early takeaways and a score that cut the lead to six with just 2:09 to play, the Broncos gave themselves a chance in their season opener against Seattle.
Although they ultimately fell short, there were some statistically significant performances that indicated the Broncos could be on the right track in 2024.
Denver's defense has been looking for a quicker start this season, and the outside linebacker duo of Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning showed promise of that during Sunday's loss in Seattle.
Among 73 defenders who had at least 15 pass-rush snaps through Sunday of Week 1, Browning ranked second in pressure rate (31.3%) while Cooper was fourth (29.4%), according to Next Gen Stats.
Cooper also led the defense with two sacks, both of which came during the first half of the game. This strong defensive performance marked the first time a Bronco recorded multiple sacks in the season-opening game since outside linebacker Bradley Chubb in 2022. It was also the first time that a Bronco recorded multiple sacks in the first half of a season opener since outside linebacker Von Miller in 2018.
"He's a physical player," Head Coach Sean Payton said Monday of Cooper. "... You feel a strong presence. He's certainly one of our edge players that we rely on not only for pressure in the passing game but also setting an edge in the run game."
While the Broncos took some time to find a rhythm offensively, rookie receiver Devaughn Vele showed promise that he could play a key role in the pass game moving forward. Vele had a team-high eight catches, which ties for the second-most receptions by a Bronco in his NFL debut. This performance ranks only behind wide receiver Eddie Royal, who had nine receptions in 2008.
Vele noted that it will be important for the offense to find this rhythm earlier and make big plays moving into Week 2 and beyond.
"The fight that we had in this game obviously didn't go the way that we wanted it to, but there's a lot on the film that we can learn from and continue to take each week, week by week," Vele said after Sunday's loss. " … You've got to make plays at the end of the day. That's the difference between winning and losing games."
