The last time the Broncos’ defense took the field, it had an off night.
Vance Joseph’s unit, one of the best in the NFL by nearly every measure this fall, got shredded for 552 yards by Jameis Winston and the Cleveland Browns.
Denver probably doesn’t win to get to its bye week 8-5 and firmly in playoff position, though, without a trio of interceptions by Nik Bonitto, Ja’Quan McMillian and Cody Barton.
In that way, the outing was uncharacteristic but also emblematic.
Emblematic of a team that’s learned how to persevere.
Emblematic of a group that has gone from finding creative ways to lose to proving it can win in a variety of ways.