The Denver Broncos completely shut down Ezekiel Elliot and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, proving their run defense that went from first to nearly worst from 2015 to 2016 has returned itself to its former glory.
Broncos star linebacker Brandon Marshall didn’t mince words on the subject either.
Broncos LB Brandon Marshall: Denver's defense 'put the league on notice that we're for real'https://t.co/zjTsId2EDp pic.twitter.com/AseqJZNzN6
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 18, 2017
"There's no defense in the NFL like us,” Marshall said. “We're the best. I'm not saying it ever left. We just let it slip a little. But we're back. We're back."
That confidence will lead the to the kind of swagger that vaulted this team to a Super Bowl championship in 2015. You saw it on full display Sunday even when the game was decided, the defense wasn’t going to let the Cowboys pad the score. Aqib Talib picked off a Dak Prescott pass in the end zone and returned it to the house.
With a secondary that is easily the most feared unit in decades, the front seven is now smothering runners like they did in 2015. The recipe for greatness is all there, now they just need to seize it.