TAMPA, Fla. — When facing a 2-0 team led by a quarterback who co-leads the league in passing touchdowns and total touchdowns, it's important to have a plan.
In Sunday's 26-7 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, the Broncos not only had a plan — they executed it to near perfection.
Denver's defense, which has gotten off to a strong start this season, added another impressive performance as the unit recorded seven sacks and limited quarterback Baker Mayfield to just 163 passing yards.
Defensive end John Franklin-Myers, one of the six Broncos players to record a sack, said the consistent pressure applied by the defense played a key role in helping Denver secure the win.
"I think from A to Z, from [the] first quarter to the end, we were just on [Mayfield]," Franklin-Myers said. "The coaches had a good plan. … That's what we talk about — being the most physical team on the field — and that's what we were."
Leading the way in this strong physical performance was outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman, who showed up to his first NFL appearance ready to make an impact. The first-year player, who was promoted to the active roster on Wednesday after spending time on the practice squad this season, led the team with two sacks. Tillman previously played three seasons in the United States Football League and United Football League, an experience that he said prepared him to hit the ground running in the NFL.
"Football is football," Tillman said. "Any type of reps you can get will definitely help you out no matter what league you're in."
Still, Tillman described his first NFL action as "a dream come true" and attributed his strong performance to several of his teammates who had confidence he was ready to step up and make big plays.
"My group of guys, they gave me the confidence," he said. "They told me all week that I could go out there and do it and [to] just trust myself [and] just do what I do."
Tillman did just that, and the energy and eagerness of him and his teammates only continued to grow throughout the game.
"After that first one, everybody's trying to get that," Tillman said. "We all work together, we all feed off each other, so once somebody gets one, we're all trying to."
Denver's consistent pressure up front played a key role in limiting downfield opportunities for Tampa Bay's strong wide receiver duo of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Godwin posted three receptions on five targets, one of which was Tampa Bay's lone touchdown. Evans, who was covered for most of the game by cornerback Pat Surtain II, recorded one 8-yard reception on two targets.
"I think we made [Mayfield] hold [the ball]," Head Coach Sean Payton said of the defensive effort. "I think we made him hold it some. That is a credit to coverage. I haven't seen the tape, but I think we made [Mayfield] hold [the ball].
Surtain, however, credited his teammates with applying the consistent pressure that limited Tampa Bay's ability to build momentum in their passing game.
"It's a great feeling knowing they're getting back there, knowing there's a short amount of time for the [quarterback] to get a read off," Surtain said. "It just makes your job much easier, and it makes us more aggressive on the back end. So, when the pass rush is there, it kind of correlates to the secondary. So, it's a good thing that they got pressure and were getting sacks."
As the Broncos now look forward to their next challenge in Week 4, they will look to continue to bring this consistent pressure and make game-changing plays.
"Effort and physicality is going to win you a lot of games," Franklin-Myers said. "It's something that's preached throughout the NFL but most people don't actually live it. … We've lived that. We've played great defense."
