Aqib Talib, Chris Harris give Denver Broncos huge advantage
It’s no secret that the Denver Broncos have one of the NFL’s best secondaries, and that was the clear expectation for this team going into the 2014 season. Not only did they add DeMarcus Ware to a full season of Von Miller, but they also made three additions to their defensive backfield. The Aqib Talib-for-Dominique-Rodgers-Cromartie swap has gone as-planned, as Talib has been as good as ever in his first season with the Broncos. They also added star strong safety T.J. Ward on a team-friendly deal and drafted a high-upside first-round cornerback in Bradley Roby for good measure. There’s no doubt that this Broncos secondary has plenty of talent, and they have definitely played up to their potential this season.
I know it came against a rookie quarterback bereft of sufficient weapons around him, but the Broncos pass defense totally stomped on Derek Carr, forcing the Fresno State product to throw 12 passes that were defended by the secondary. The safety duo of Rahim Moore and Ward has been on point this season, but the strength of the Broncos secondary lies in their starting cornerback duo, and you could make the case that Chris Harris Jr. and Talib are playing better than any CB duo in the NFL this season.
For starters, you could make the case that Harris is playing better than any corner in the league, because only Vontae Davis has allowed a lower QB Rating into his coverage (Harris’s is a ridiculously low 47.8), per Pro Football Focus.He’s among the league leaders in passes defended, and, like Davis, he hasn’t even allowed a touchdown pass this season. Quarterbacks complete just 51% of their passes when targeting Harris, and, here’s the most impressive stat, he almost never gives up a big play with a league-low 7.7 yards per completion into his coverage.
I can’t remember the last time Harris had a poor game, and his consistency is just beyond remarkable. Richard Sherman, Darrelle Revis, and Patrick Peterson are the big names, but Harris has outplayed these guys when looking at his numbers at the cornerback position this season. It’s not like he hasn’t been tested either, as defenses have been forced to throw it into his coverage 89 times, but, as you can see, those attempts do not yield success.
He’s allowed more than five receptions on three occasions this season, but only two of those teams (Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots) had any sort of success on those attempts. With three “shutout” performances (games in which Harris has allowed no receptions), it’s clear that he can completely neutralize receivers if asked to. Back in Week 5 in a marquee game against the Arizona Cardinals, Harris was targeted seven times and came away with four passes defended and no receptions allowed. None. In seven targets.
Although Talib hasn’t been one of the top three cornerbacks in the league this season, which is a designation Harris clearly deserves, he has been one of the best CBs in his own right. With four interceptions and an excellent 17 passes defended, the former Patriots star has shown his trademark ball skills this season, but he’s combined that with some more assured displays in coverage. Quarterbacks have just a 72.2 QB Rating when targeting Talib, and while that isn’t as impressive as Harris’s QB Rating allowed, it’s still the seventh-lowest in the NFL this season, per PFF. He hasn’t pitched any shutouts this season and has allowed four touchdowns, but with a 57.9% catch rate allowed, he’s been much better than most corners who are the second-best CB on the team.
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Like the Seattle Seahawks with Sherman and Byron Maxwell, the Broncos can now boast having two shutdown corners on their roster, and I’d say that their shutdown corners have been better this season. Pro Football Focus’s yards per cover snap is one of my favorites statistics for corners, because it’s a great basic efficiency stat for evaluating the position. Basically, it takes the amount of yards a CB has allowed and divides it by the number of times they’ve been in coverage, which helps account for corners like Revis who are almost never targeted.
Per PFF, Harris had the lowest yards per cover snap in the NFL this season at 0.57, while Talib had the 11th-best mark at 0.98. Just in case you were wondering, Sherman is in second, while Maxwell is somewhere in the middle of the pack. It’s important to note that using statistics to evaluate corners is, as you would expect, not an exact science, since someone like Demetrius McCray of the Jacksonville Jaguars has the fourth-lowest yards per cover snap. While McCray isn’t a bad player, nobody would reasonably call him a top 10, 15, or 20 cornerback in this league.
As a whole, the Denver Broncos have the NFL’s best pass defense this season, as they allow just 5.3 net yards per attempt, which is the lowest in the NFL. The pass rush provided by the Ware, Miller, and the rest of the gang certainly helps the secondary, which is stocked with talent at both corner and safety.With 18 interceptions to their credit, the Broncos have clearly made plays on their own in the passing game, and they have been, per Football Outsiders, the second most effective team in the league at defending deep passes.
Not only does this secondary make plays (Talib and Harris both have 17 passes defended with Roby adding 13), but they don’t allow many either. Plus, per Football Outsiders, they have been the fifth-best team in the NFL against No. 1 receivers and the second-best against No. 2 wideouts. They have allowed over 250 passing yards just once in their past eight games, so they are definitely playing at their best right now.
Talib and Harris are at the heart of this Broncos defense, and the elite play from their pass defense (and their run defense, but that’s a story for another day) means that the Broncos are in an excellent position in the playoffs. With C.J. Anderson rolling, plenty of talent in their passing game on offense, and one of the best defenses in the league, they can win those ugly games in addition to winning with style, which was their clear preference in 2013.
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