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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With the Denver Broncos combination of premier pass-rushing talent and a secondary full of Pro Bowl players, it’s no surprise why they have the No. 1 rated pass defense in the entire NFL. However, there is another area that is starting to emerge as a third contributor to this equation.
“[Batting down passes] helps big time. A lot of teams, to negate the pressure, they get rid of the ball quicker, like [San Diego Chargers quarterback] Phillip Rivers,” safety Justin Simmons said. “When we can negate that at the line of scrimmage that’s just demoralizing for an offensive team.”
While “passes defended” is a stat normally dominated by members of the defensive backfield, this year defensive end Jared Crick has been racking them up. Crick, a first-year Bronco, arguably had his best game of the season on Sunday against the Chargers. One of the main reasons for this was his season-high two passes defended.
“Crick on the two-point play bats it down. At the end of the game, he bats it down. He had three bat-downs that were big points of the game,” fellow defensive end Adam Gotsis said. “One of them, if he didn’t get it, one of their players was up the sideline about 50 yards before someone would have tackled him.”
On the season Crick has four passes defended. While this may not seem like a lot through eight games, he is tied for fourth most on the team only trailing Aqib Talib (11), T.J. Ward (7) and Chris Harris Jr. (7), all members of the No Fly Zone.
“Having guys like Crick get pressure and then knocking the ball down, that’s just huge,” Simmons said.
On this pace, Crick would finish the season with eight bat-downs, one more than former Bronco Malik Jackson had last season, helping him earn a six-year, $90 million contract in the offseason.
“If you can’t get [to the quarterback], get your hands up. That’s something Kollar emphasizes,” Gotsis said.
Although Crick leads the Broncos defensive lineman in passes defended, it’ll never be recognized as much as a sack, even if it can be just as impactful.
“If it’s a third down and you bat the ball down, then you are off the field. It’s just as good as a sack in some circumstances,” said Gotsis. “They can be game-changing plays if you can get them.”
Crick and the Broncos pass defense won’t have to wait too long to try to bat down more throws as the Broncos face the pass-happy Oakland Raiders on Sunday Night Football.
