ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- It's like Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons has always said: this group has to talk the talk before it can walk the walk.
Between the highs, lows and in-betweens of the Broncos' season, the team captain has stressed it nonstop.
"I always say it,'' Simmons said. "It's all about the communication, always, it's about us making sure from pre-snap to snap to post-snap, we are where we're supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to do.
"You want to know why we've been better? Yes, we've tackled, gotten turnovers, sacks, but we have communicated, at a premium level. We didn't before, whether it was mistakes, injuries or just a new system, but we are now and the difference is the difference."
The Broncos are communicating, tackling, knocking the ball out and tightening the vise on opposing offenses at a level not many could have foreseen eight games ago.
"You can't go after the quarterback, you can't take risks, you can't play a big variety of things if you don't communicate," Simmons added.
Now with a 7-6 record, they're firmly in the AFC playoff race with four games to go. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been able to get aggressive for a reason. Because Broncos' players have found a way to get it right snap after snap far more often.
"When that happens,'' Broncos linebacker Josey Jewell said, "you can get a little more aggressive and send some guys, get after the quarterback.''
After the New York Jets ran for 234 yards in a 31-21 victory over the Broncos in Week 5, the Broncos had surrendered 164 points in a four-game span (41.0 average per game). They were in a statistical whirlpool that saw them at, or near, the bottom of the league's ranking in every major statistical category.
But a few things had started to happen as the Broncos tried to regain their balance over the season's first month. Joseph inserted Fabian Moreau into the lineup at the cornerback spot opposite of Pat Surtain II, he put second-year cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian at the nickel cornerback spot, defensive tackle Mike Purcell returned from injury, allowing D.J. Jones to slide over from the nose tackle spot to attack gaps. Additionally, outside linebacker Baron Browning returned to the lineup.
As the comfort level rose, the results improved and as the results improved Joseph steadily, almost quietly began to turn things loose.
"I've said, my job as a coach when things are not going right, it's my job to find ways to make it better and to explain versus trying to dictate or to coach with fear,'' Joseph said. "That never works ... we just kept at it and we want to be aggressive. Attack the ball, get turnovers, limit mistakes, get the quarterback, all of those things you always want to do, but these guys are working at it, some teams take to it, some teams don't. This one has.''
Over the last eight games, the Broncos are 6-2, including their first win over the Kansas City Chiefs since 2015 and Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, their first road win in the division since 2019. In those eight games they have surrendered 12 touchdowns and have 19 takeaways.
The Broncos, despite having five takeaways in the first five games combined, are now tied for the league-lead in takeaways with 24 and lead the league in forced fumbles with 13.
And now they are back in the AFC chase with a Saturday night visit to the Detroit Lions (8:15 p.m. ET on Fox). The Lions are in the league's top five in total offense, rushing offense, passing offense and are seventh in the league in scoring (26.2 points per game).
Joseph and many of the Broncos' players have drawn the line from the improvement to the lineup changes as well as "Turnover Thursdays.'' That's when, in the morning defensive meeting, the coaches show players slow-motion highlights, from the television broadcasts, of the turnovers they caused so they can see how the ball came out.
The Broncos also do drills early in practice each Thursday, emphasizing pulling the ball out from a ballcarrier, tipping passes and scooping up loose balls. It all has made Joseph, especially over the last four games feel comfortable with the Broncos' ability to hold up in coverage when he sends extra rushers at the quarterback.
"We have been more aggressive,'' Simmons said. "But you can do that when you hold up and are in the right spot. It's not perfect, it never is on defense, but you can do more when you get more right.''
In the first five games, Joseph chose to rush five or more at opposing quarterbacks more than seven times in a game twice. But over the last eight games, Joseph has rushed five or more at opposing quarterbacks 10 or more times in six of those games.
And the two highest totals of the season for five or more rushers -- 18 or more times -- have come in the last three weeks.
"It speaks volumes to [Joseph] being able to dial it up when he needs to, sending different guys,'' Simmons said. "Communication has to be at a premium because depending on the look we get, certain guys can go, certain guys can not go and we just have got to be like on top of it."