DENVER — Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory are not outside linebackers in a conventional way.
These are large men. As they get ready to bend into their stand-up sprinter’s stance along the edges of Denver's defensive stance, it doesn’t take much imagination to see them as power forwards for the Denver Nuggets.
Chubb is 6-foot-4, 275 pounds. Gregory is 6-foot-5, 252 pounds.
It’s the latest version of the Dynamic Duo that has made the Denver defense unique in the early going this season and has propelled it to one of the league’s top 3 defenses by any statistical measure.
“I don’t mean to sound too brash, but I think we’re the best defense in the league,’’ Chubb said after the Broncos rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers in an 11-10 slugfest before more than 75,000 fans at Empower Field at Mile High and a Sunday night primetime audience of nearly 19 million viewers. “We’ve put it on film and on tape.’’
Chubb and Gregory are more imposing on film than they are on the stat line. And they have the stats. But team stats don’t measure the intimidating presence Chubb and Gregory bring to the opposing quarterback’s peripheral vision, nor their relentless will.
These are not pass rushers who take a breather on running plays. Their motors may not have the get-off of a Von Miller – a smaller pass rusher, by the way – but they rev up to top gear soon enough. And it stays full revved until the whistle blows.
As for their stats, Chubb has 3.0 sacks for 30 yards in losses through the Broncos’ 2-1 start with a forced fumble and 5 quarterback hits. Gregory has 2.0 sacks for 17 yards in losses, two forced fumbles and also has 5 quarterback hits. That’s a combined 5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 10 quarterback hits.
Bring on the Raiders.
Chubb and Gregory will be key this Sunday when the Broncos play their rival Raiders in Las Vegas where head coach Josh McDaniels and quarterback Derek Carr have averaged 40 pass attempts in their three games, all losses. Carr has been sacked 7 times, which is a bit much for a quarterback known for getting rid of the ball quicker than most.
The consistent upfront pressure applied by Chubb and Gregory has allowed the Denver defense to at least temporarily overcome the injury loss of star safety Justin Simmons. In the two games without Simmons, both wins, the Denver D has allowed just 19 points. Especially after the 49ers lost their superb left tackle Trent Williams to a high ankle sprain in the third quarter Sunday, Gregory and Chubb took over the game.
“When we play sound – I’m sure a lot of people say that, but when we play sound and everyone’s where they need to be there’s not a lot of options for offenses,’’ Gregory said after the Broncos’ win Sunday night. “When we’re rushing the passer the right way doing all those little things that you saw at the end of the last game and now this game, that’s how we expect to play.
“I’m telling you, we told ourselves on the sidelines, if the offense can get us up on the board, we score and take the lead, they’re not scoring the rest of the game. We said that at halftime. We really felt that way. You need that kind of confidence to shut teams out the way you can.”
First-time defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero employs a system similar to the one Vic Fangio ran for the Broncos the previous three years. There is a noticeable twist, however: Evero will call a couple more blitzes. Blitzes can create the illusion of chaos.
“You want them feeling like we’ve got an extra guy out there,’’ Gregory said.
And with the length and force Gregory and Chubb bring to the edges of the defensive front, the Denver defense has a chance to finish among the league’s best. If not, as Chubb suggested, the best.
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