The Broncos went through the regular season allowing the fewest yards in the league, the fewest yards per rushing attempt and the fewest yards per passing attempt before allowing the Steelers, Patriots and Panthers to score 44 points on their way to the Super Bowl 50 title.
It is the first Super Bowl title of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ long coaching career and he was basking in the glow of his unit’s performance after the game. Phillips said that the team “played our defense” while recording seven sacks and four turnovers against a Panthers team that led the league in scoring during the regular season.
Phillips pointed that out when asked about where this Broncos defense should rank historically, a question that he answered by saying that he thinks it is a “special, all-time” unit. Cornerback Chris Harris was asked a similar question when he met the media after the win and said it was an “easy” answer to say that they have “one of the greatest” defenses that’s ever played the game. Harris referenced the Panthers’ offensive success heading into the game while talking about why he thinks they rank so highly.
“We beat [Tom] Brady twice,” Harris said. “We beat Big Ben [Roethlisberger] twice. What QB didn’t we beat?”
Where the Broncos defense ranks on the list of the best in NFL history is going to ultimately reside in the eye of the beholder. After the last three games, it’s hard to come up with much of an argument against their spot at the table.
