Broncos DC Vance Joseph Awarded Coach of the Week Honor by NFLN Host

Vance Joseph is collecting his flowers after leading the Denver Broncos defense to a dominant start.

Aug 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

To the victors goes the spoils, as the 3-2 Denver Broncos continue to ride their wave of momentum on a three-game winning streak after beating the 2-3 Las Vegas Raiders, 34-18, on Sunday. 

It was the Broncos’ first home win of the season as they snapped Las Vegas’ eight-game winning streak and beat their loathed AFC West rival for the first time since the Raiders relocated from Oakland, CA. After starting the season 0-2, the Broncos were forced to dig themselves out of a deep hole and aim to continue their upward trajectory by adding another win and getting to one game above .500.

Sunday’s game saw several new franchise records achieved by Denver. The highly anticipated debut of the Broncos’ 1977 Throwback made for an afternoon of Mile High Magic in the team's second home game of the season.

As the Broncos continue to make waves on a weekly basis, they've caught the attention of NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, who named dominant defensive coordinator Vance Joseph the recipient of his Coach of the Week award.

“I am so excited to give Vance Joseph the award, coach of the week, this week... The Denver Broncos defense is the best in the league, and they were rocking those ‘Orange Crush’ uniforms, and they absolutely dominated the Raiders. They fell down 10 to nothing in this game, and then the Pat Surtain pick-six in the second quarter got things going. They had (three) interceptions against the Raiders as a team, but looking at this unit the entire season, they are allowing 14 points per game. That is second in the league. They have 19 sacks, 75 QB pressures, and 41 QB hits—that is all top three in the league,” Schrager proclaimed on his hit show Good Morning Football. 

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Denver’s dynamic and aggressive defense has been the strength of the team throughout the first five games, lifting a struggling offense that continues to grow with rookie quarterback Bo Nix under Sean Payton’s supervision. Joseph’s defense has kept the Broncos in the competitive fire of every game, losing by just one possession in their two defeats against the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Broncos defense ranks among the league’s very best in the league’s top five categories, including PPG Allowed (14.6, ranked No. 2), Total YPG Allowed (271.2, ranked No. 3), Pass YPG Allowed (159.8, ranked No. 5), Sacks per Game (3.8, ranked No. 3), and Opponents Red Zone TD Pct (33.3, ranked No. 3). 

But it wasn’t always sunshine and praise for the 52-year-old defensive play-caller who’s in his second stint with the Broncos after being head coach of the team from 2017-18.

“The story is so cool, (Vance) was the head coach of the Broncos and got unceremoniously fired, worked elsewhere, gets offered the job with Sean Payton to be defensive coordinator and has no ego. They give up 70 (points) in a game to the Dolphins last year and everyone says get rid of Vance Joseph. They have since turned it around and have been one of the most dominant units in the league. Vance Joseph, we love the focus, we love the way this team is performing, and we love the fact that your story tells you that you do not shut the door on a guy who’s done it his entire career. Vance Joseph is our coach of the week, and the Denver Broncos defense is a unit that you have to pay attention to," Schrager said.

While I was hardly excited for Joseph to return to Denver in 2023, Payton was always my No. 1 candidate for the Broncos head-coaching gig. By that very argument, I publicly voiced my concerns with Joseph but was also willing to clean the slate and hope for a better time around.

There’s no denying that Joseph has found an ability to connect with his players and get them to play effectively within his scheme. Not to mention that Denver’s defense has shown an innate ability to make the appropriate adjustments to combat their opponents' offensive attack, which has previously plagued Joseph in his NFL career.

But as they say, 'a rising tides lift all boats,' and the Broncos defense has consistently elevated the spirits of the offense, special teams, and fan base just five weeks into the regular season. The Broncos’ defensive success seems to be the byproduct of Joseph’s second chance in Denver as he continues his miraculous Mile High resurgence. 

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