Vance Joseph's self-made defense ranks second in the NFL

Five weeks into the 2024 NFL season, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been widely praised for his impressive defense.

The Broncos’ defense ranks second in points allowed per game (14.6), third in total yards (271.2), fifth in passing yards (159.8/game), tenth in rushing yards (111.4), third in sacks (19) and seventh in interceptions (five).

During his media availability last week, Joseph deflected praise to the “self-made” players who make the defense work.

“We have a defense full of just young guys who are mostly self-made,” Joseph said last Thursday. “We have one first-round pick, and that’s Patrick [Surtain], who is a really good player. Everyone else are pretty self-made guys that are just grinders. That’s helped our process of working hard, being smart, studying and just doing it right. Playing together and being team-first guys.

“It’s a group of self-aware, young, hungry guys who are still trying to reach for more. So I don’t have a problem of motivating guys, of keeping guys humble because it’s there every day. Again we have one guy, Pat, who’s a first rounder. Everyone else are just self-made guys who want to get better every day.”

This week, Denver’s defense will face a Los Angeles Chargers offense that ranks fourth-worst in the league in yards (263.8) and fifth-worst in points (17.0). The Chargers have the best scoring defense (12.5) in the NFL, however, so Sunday’s showdown could be a low-scoring affair.