Broncos defensive lineman: Mahomes and AFC West QBs ‘should be worried’ about Denver
At least one player from an AFC West team took note of all the running that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes did in Super Bowl LV.
The Buccaneers’ pass rush overwhelmed the Chiefs’ makeshift offensive line, and Mahomes ran for an astonishing 497 yards before his sacks or passes.
Defensive end Shelby Harris, who last week signed a three-year, $27 million contract to remain with the Broncos, saw how much Mahomes and the Chiefs struggled in their 31-9 loss to Tampa Bay.
Harris thinks that could be a template for slowing Mahomes, along with Chargers star Justin Herbert and the Raiders’ Derek Carr, in the 2021 season.
“We have a bunch of great quarterbacks in the AFC West,’‘ Harris told Mike Klis of 9News. “But like you saw in the Super Bowl, the No. 1 way you get to a great QB is by pass rush. Pressure. I feel like we just fortified that, so I think every QB out there should be worried.’‘
Harris had 2 1/2 sacks and 11 quarterback hits in 11 games as he was sidelined by a nerve issue caused by COVID-19.
In 2019, Harris had six sacks, and he believes a healthy trio of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb could cause trouble for teams.
Chubb had 12 sacks in 2018, but was limited to four games in 2019 and had 7 1/2 sacks in 14 games in 2020. Miller had 16 1/2 sacks during the 2018 season.
“My thing is, we only got one year of Von and Chubb,’’ Harris told Klis. “I have such high hopes for this defense. I believe we can be top three, top two. I think we should be the top defense out there. We have a helluva lot of playmakers go out there and on any given Sunday make plays. I feel like we have All Pro players. It’s just up to us (to) go out there and put that work in.”
