ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- After the Denver Broncos led the NFL in sacks with 68 last season, expectations are high for the defense entering 2026.
"People look at us and say, 'Can they do that again?'" Broncos defensive tackle Zach Allen said. "Like, it's got to end, stats don't just repeat, there's like a regression. But we don't look at it like that. We see sacks come from playing good defense. We don't chase them; we try to earn them."
The Broncos open the season Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) by facing Patrick Mahomes, who will be playing his first game since he tore his left ACL last December. And Denver's quest for a second straight division title begins with the league's most productive pass rush mostly intact.
There are some slight changes. Defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers departed in free agency and edge rusher Jonathon Cooper opens the season on the commissioner's exempt list after two offseason arrests related to alleged domestic violence. But all of Denver's All-Pro selections over the past two seasons -- in which the Broncos had single-season franchise records both years -- are still in lineup. That includes Allen, edge rusher Nik Bonitto and cornerback Pat Surtain II.
So, the Broncos know their slate of opponents will spend a lot of time devising a way to prevent Denver from setting another franchise high-water mark and/or pacing the league. And the defense will have to be ready to adjust in how it goes about stressing quarterbacks.
"It's a great unit, they're motivated, they're not satisfied," Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. "... Our talks in meetings are always about it might not look like it did last year as far as all the numbers, that it can be different with what we're ranked -- that's not important to us. But it's about our play style, it's about being a good defense every down."
The Broncos' pass rush is on a historic run, with 63 sacks in 2024 before the 68 last season. Those 131 sacks are the most in back-to-back seasons since the Chicago Bears had the same number spanning 1986 and 1987. The Broncos held opponents without an offensive touchdown in a league-leading five games last season and had 17 players have at least a half-sack, breaking a franchise record they tied the year before.
"We know what we've done, but that's in the past," Broncos edge rusher Jonah Elliss said. "... We're working on being better this year."
Elliss will be one player expected to step up as the Broncos adjust for Cooper's absence. Cooper, who was second on the team with eight sacks last season, faces a November trial on domestic violence charges and is not allowed to practice or play in games while on the commissioner's exempt list. The Broncos have mostly used Elliss and Que Robinson (a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft) in Cooper's edge spot opposite Bonitto. Robinson had one of the team's two sacks in the preseason and led the team with three pressures.
"All these guys we feel like can play," Broncos general manager George Paton said. "... We feel really good about [Robinson]. Then Jonah and obviously [Dondrea Tillman] and Nik."
The Broncos' pass rushers believe that the cavalcade of quarterbacks they're scheduled to face this season -- a group includes Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert, Brock Purdy, Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen and Drake Maye along with Mahomes -- might be more inclined to throw quicker and attack more on first down to avoid third-and-long trouble.
Or, as Joseph put it: "They know they can't lose first down, or else our pass rush comes alive."
The Broncos were the league's toughest defense on first down last season. According to NFL Next Gen stats, opposing offenses had a success rate of just 34% on first down (a successful first-down play is at least 4 yards in a standard first-and-10 situation). That set the Broncos up on later downs, as their 12 sacks on second down were third most in the league, and their 30 sacks on third down led the NFL. So, the Broncos expect opponents to be more willing to throw quicker passes on first down and move their quarterback around to create a more difficult sack target.
"Think we just have to be ready for the ball to be gone and to affect quarterbacks in other ways," said Allen, who led the league in quarterback hits. "But battle on first down to make it hard so we get those chances to rush."
The Chiefs get the first spin of the wheel and will likely be without left tackle Josh Simmons, who suffered a back injury in training camp. Undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson is expected to start in Simmons' place.
"It's just winning those battles every play," Allen said. "I think we've succeeded because we don't chase stats, we don't chase sacks. We all do our assignments so we all can make plays. If we do that then sacks come, turnovers come, we get stops and we can talk about wins. And that's what matters."