We Can Break It': Broncos Set Sights on 42-Year-Old NFL Record in 2026

0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Denver Broncos had one of the best defenses in the NFL last season, particularly when it came to getting after the quarterback.

They led the league with 68 sacks, well ahead of the next-closest team, the Atlanta Falcons, who had 57. That was also the most in a single season since the 1985 New York Giants, which tied them for the fifth most all-time.

But according to Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones, Denver isn't content. This season, they're coming for the Chicago Bears' all-time single-season record of 72 sacks, set in 1984. "We can break it," Jones said . "We've got what it takes. We've tasted it, and now it's time to cook the meal, eat it, and take a break. You know how you eat a good meal, you lay down after to take a good nap, and then wake up to go eat again? We 'bout to eat again. It's time."

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Coached by the legendary Mike Ditka, with Buddy Ryan running the defense, the '84 Bears had three players finish with double-digit sacks, including Hall of Famers Richard Dent (17.5), Dan Hampton (11.5), and Steve McMichael (10). 13 players in total registered at least one sack that season.

The Broncos, by comparison, had just one player finish with double-digit sacks: All-Pro edge rusher Nik Bonitto. Jonathon Cooper finished with eight, John Franklin-Myers ended with 7.5, and Zach Allen registered seven. Denver had 15 players finish the season with at least one sack. Jones, for his part, finished with three sacks and 39 combined tackles.

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Denver is running it back with more or less the same group as last season, though Franklin-Myers has since left for Tennessee. Still, there's no reason to believe this defense can't wreak havoc again in 2026, especially with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph still calling the shots.

It's bold to suggest you can break a record that's stood for more than four decades, set by one of the greatest defenses of all time — but the Broncos were just five sacks shy of doing it last year. There's a real chance it happens this season.

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